The Dying Tree: Part Two
by VraieEsprit
Summary: Well, here goes! Sasami has visions of Jurai's destruction, Ryoko is fighting her destiny and Tsunami has thrown her last card into the ring to save her planet. Kagato is back from the dead but can he really be destroyed? Ova x Universe FINISHED 10.9.06
1. Chapter 1

**Brief Introduction and Disclaimer**

Well, here it is. Part Two of the Dying Tree. I'll be completely honest - since none of Part One was actually pre-planned before it was written and since 90 of the story kind of just happened as the characters went along, it might take me a while to get my head around Part Two.

First disclaimer - this story introduces a brand new character to the Tenchi Universe. I'm not going to say too much about her, just that this story was actually in the back of my head to write before I even began Dark Heart, so I've decided to do it and mix it all up in the Dying Tree saga. I know how some people feel about new character introductions and I admit myself I'm not keen on new star roles being thrown into the mix, so I hope this is going to work out. It's all experimental - but I'm hopeful that it will be all right in the end :)

Second disclaimer - as I've said before, my Tenchi-verse is a mish-mash of the OVA and the Tenchi Universe canons. There are a lot of OVA ideas shoved into what is basically a Universe timeline (with some aforementioned amendments to the Jurai Royal Family Tree, just to make it all make sense and gel together into something logical). In truth, the more I write, the more I realise how much of the OVA makes perfect sense in a Universe setting. And this story is no exception. There is one major OVA theme to come in this story - but I need to go back to my disks first to make sure I've got the details straight!

Third disclaimer - If you're not a fan of Tenchi x Ryoko, then you might not like this story. I am not keen on forcing romantic interludes or situations where they don't fit, but to me the suggested conclusion to the Tenchi Universe sphere is a Ryoko and Tenchi pairing. If you're a fan of other characters, please rest assured that it's also not my policy to unduly smear or twist the personality of another character - and that I like to keep them as true to the show as I can. Just because Tenchi ends up with Ryoko in my writing, therefore, it does not mean Ayeka has turned into a small minded little demon . Please note that Washu and Sasami both will play (if the story goes anything like I think it will!) fairly major roles in this story alongside Tenchi and Ryoko and a few other bits and pieces.

Well, it will be interesting to see how this works out, for me as much as for anyone else. :) Thanks again to anyone who takes the time to read and review my work - and I hope that this one won't disappoint!

**SYNOPSIS**

_Sasami's prophesy for the future is grim. Haunted by dark images, she has no idea that they are coming real more quickly than she could ever have realised. Kagato's spirit sleeps inside his tree, waiting for the time that he will be awakened - but can even the Goddess herself stand up to such tremendous malevolent power?_

Ryoko and Tenchi have returned to Earth, taking life slowly despite the warnings of Washu and the impending danger posed by Souja's tree. Ryoko's discoveries at the Science Academy have been pushed into the background - but can the space pirate discover her true destiny in among her search for a happy, peaceful life with the man she loves?

Life is rarely so simple or so clear cut, as she realises that there is far more at stake than her life and her happiness. Will she have to make the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the future, or will her lack of discipline or training mean that her magic will prove her destruction?

Forced into assimilation with Sasami too soon, Tsunami's power is waning and in a last ditch attempt to save her world, she flings a young soul back to the past, placing all her trust in the girl she so aptly named 'Hope'.

But is it already too late to break Kagato's dark spell?

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**THE DYING TREE: PART TWO  
A TENCHI MUYO! Fanfiction  
by  
VraieEsprit**

Chapter One

_A strange silence had settled over the ground surrounding the Tree that morning._

_Gathered there beneath his twisted branches, several hooded figures settled themselves on the ground, mere inches from the seeping red stains that marked the land as tainted. From her position at the back of the ensemble, the small girl stood up on tiptoes, craning her neck to see past them to the gnarled Tree itself. This tree was full of wonder, she knew that. Hadn't her father told her as much? That inside this Tree beat the heart of a true prince - a leader who would return from the darkness and set his people free from the tyranny of Imperial rule._

_She did not understand all of those things yet, she told herself, as she returned to her lonely seat on the ground. But she knew better than to argue with her father, for he was an angry man and she had no mind to receive a beating for her disloyalty. She sat quietly, trying to pretend she wasn't frightened by the solemnity of the day. Her father was one of the chosen, clustered around the Tree's trunk as offerings and prayers were given up for the safety of the prince's soul. Nobody took any notice of her, sat huddled in her corner as she was most times she came to the Tree. Just another unnoticed child, waiting for her father to take her home._

_And yet, somehow today seemed to be different._

_She glanced up at the sky, taking in the brassy blueness and the eerie glint of the sun as it climbed above the heavens. This was a chosen day, she had heard her father say so to his companions as they had arrived, and he had sent her a meaningful look. Try as she might, the girl could not find solace in her father's sudden attention. Somehow she knew that she was not just there to make up numbers today. She had heard the word 'destiny' whispered around the house for several days beforehand and she knew instinctively that it was her destiny they were discussing. She was not quite twelve years old, and yet she understood more than a little bit the importance of portents and prophesies. The Tree loomed large and bleak, like a monster from one of her dreams, and she shivered, drawing her cloak more tightly around her. Whatever it meant, she didn't like it._

_"Moriko!"_

_Her father's voice broke through her troubled thoughts and she raised her head, meeting his gaze with a trepidant one of her own. He raised a hand, beckoning to her with one long, pale finger and she got to her feet, walking slowly across the ground to join the centre circle. Around her, people whispered and nudged one another, as if seeing her with new eyes, but she did her best to block it out, focusing only on where she was going. Though fear coursed through her veins, she would not disobey her father. Not here. Not when it might anger the very soul their lives had been dedicated to placating._

_"Here you are." Her father took her by the hand, getting to his feet and leading her step by step towards the trunk of the Tree. "Today is a special day, Moriko-chan. Today is the day you fulfil your purpose in life - by awakening the great spirit that sleeps within Souja's Tree. Do you understand, child, the honour bestowed upon you?"_

_Moriko gazed up at him blankly, swallowing hard as she struggled to remember how she should answer. His grip on her wrist tightened._

_"Moriko! Answer me! Do you understand the honour bestowed upon you?"_

_Moriko bowed her head, fighting the tears that sparked into her amber eyes._

_"Yes, Father." She whispered. "The Tree has honoured me with its notice."_

_"That's better." The grip relaxed slightly, but before Moriko could draw a breath of relief, she felt another hand grasp her around the other wrist. This hand was hard and coarse, littered with scars and she stared up in fear, meeting the gaze of the Overseer, the wisened, dark old man who was in charge of the Tree's ceremonies of faith. He was a terrible sight, in his blood red gown and cape, and he held in his hand a long, thin-bladed knife, sharpened and gleaming in the summer sun. Despite herself, Moriko shrank back, shaking her head._

_"No." She whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. "No, Honoured One. Please...please don't hurt me!"_

_The man sent her a look of derision, then pulled her hand aloft so that the assembled congregation could see it. _

_"Behold the Blood of the Lord Prince Kagato!" He exclaimed, and there was a murmur from the crowd._

_"Please!" Moriko begged. "Please let me go! Please!"_

_"Silence yourself, child." Now her father was glaring at her in the same way he glared when she was about to get a heavy beating, and she bit her lip, struggling to contain her emotions. "You are honoured. Have the sense to keep silent in the presence of the Tree and the Overseer."_

_From somewhere else in the centre circle, a young woman came forth bearing a silver dish, and Moriko closed her eyes tight, wishing as hard as she could that something - anything - could take her from this place and whatever they were about to do to her. The glint in the Overseer's eyes had unnerved her, and the tears spilled down her cheeks, falling to the barren landscape with a soft hiss as they met the reddish stains left by the Tree's dark sap. _

_There was a sudden, sharp jolt of pain, as the knife was drawn quickly across her arm, and then the soft, warm sensation of dripping blood as it ran free from the wound. The gash stung and she let out a gasp, opening her eyes in time to see the woman bearing the dish lower it to catch the falling droplets. Moriko had never seen so much blood, and despite herself, she began to feel dizzy and strange as the red liquid pooled at the bottom of the dish. Then, at a gesture from the Overseer, her father pulled her away, grabbing her injured arm and wrapping it roughly in a white bandage. She drew a shaky breath into her lungs, struggling to comprehend what was going on. The first impulse that flooded through her head was that she was still alive, but the brief moment of relief was soon quieted by the strangeness of the atmosphere around her. _

_The Overseer held the silver dish high above his head._

_"Behold the Blood of the Lord Prince Kagato!" He repeated, to great acclaim from the crowd. "Behold, as he rises again from his deep sleep!"_

_With a deft movement, he drew a brush through the scarlet liquid, spraying droplets of it across the trunk of the Tree. Souja seemed to sigh and creak in the sudden wind, and, bit by bit, the clouds overhead began to draw together as the sky grew darker and darker. Lightning split across it, and Moriko stared upwards in fright as the sun disappeared behind a wall of blackness. A strange energy seemed to draw forth from the tree, dancing and growing with every second and, as the Overseer repeated his ritual, the surroundings grew ever darker, till Moriko could barely see her hand in front of her face._

_"It has been done!" Through the confusion, Moriko heard the roar of his voice. "The Lord Prince Kagato awakes!"_

_Moriko felt her father's grip loosen as he dropped down to the floor in obeissance and, fear overwhelming her common sense, the young girl took her chance, pulling her hand away and darting into the gloom as fast as her legs would carry her. Her father's voice called her name but she blocked it out, drawing hurried, gasping breaths into her lungs as she ran helter-skelter through the dying forest. She did not know where she was going, only that it was somewhere away from that place, and away from whatever monster had risen from within the Tree._

_Overhead, the sky of Jurai continued to darken as the risen spirit grew in strength and stature, eclipsing the sun ever further with every moment. Her arm ached and stung, blood seeping through the white cloth that bound it, turning it red as the ground beneath Souja's branches but she ran on, regardless. _

_As she fled, one thought burned through her brain._

_The end of the world was upon them...and it had been all her fault._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The sky was a blanket of stars.

Ryoko stretched out atop the roof of the Masaki home, leaning back on her elbows as she gazed up above, a dreamy, relaxed expression in her golden eyes. Somewhere in the depths of space, she was sure she could see the vapour trail of a shuttle as it made it's slow way across the galaxy. The moon shone with unusual vigour, almost in it's full shape as it glinted off the water of the nearby lake, and there was a feeling of serenity that seemed to touch every corner of the landscape.

It was late now, she knew. Everyone else was asleep in their beds, but she had not been able to settle into rest. They had returned to the Earth only two days before, and despite the chaotic events on Jurai, she felt at ease. The battle with Haki and it's traumatic mental aftermath seemed a lifetime away, something that had happened to another person and not to her. This peace and quiet, with the beauty of the Japanese mountains and the quietness of the stars was her world, and the way she always wanted it to be.

The sky did not care how she had come to be, or what secrets lay in her long forgotten genetic past. Somehow she liked it that way.

The sound of scrabbling at her feet alerted her to the fact she had company, and she glanced down, smiling as Ryo Ohki clambered up beside her, uttering a soft mew as she curled herself up against her mistress's body. She raised questioning eyes to her companion, and Ryoko met the gaze with a warm one of her own.

"Sometimes I wish you didn't know everything I was thinking, you know." She murmured, reaching out a slender hand to ruffle through the cabbit's short dark fur. "But at other times, it's nice knowing I don't have to explain everything to you. You know me better than I know myself sometimes, Ryo Ohki. What do you think of all this? Are we on the Earth for good now? Is this our future? Or will things change again? We seem to have been through so many things in the last few years...do you think it's even possible for us to settle anywhere, now?"

Ryo Ohki raised her head sleepily, resting it on her paws as she gazed up at the slender woman. She mewed softly, licking her paw and beginning to wash the tips of her long, feathery ears. There was a gentleness in her expression, and Ryoko laughed, tickling her friend under her chin.

"You think I've gone soft, and maybe I have." She owned. "But you must be bored of chasing across space and destroying and looting...mustn't you? It's funny to think how I am. I'll always have time to fly through the stars with you - that's never going to change. But I don't want to be the hunted any more. That's past now. I'm not going to become Haki, or follow in my father's footsteps. I've got a new life now. A new life with Tenchi, so long as I don't blow it."

She hesitated, raising an eyebrow at her companion.

"Do you think I'll blow it?"

Ryo Ohki eyed her for a moment. Then she returned to washing herself, and Ryoko snorted.

"Gee. Thanks." She scolded. "Don't you think I can hold onto anything for any length of time, Ryo Ohki?"

She sighed.

"Although, I guess my track record isn't so brilliant in that department." She acknowledged. "And I've never actually had someone there who I know feels something back. There's too much at stake for me to mess it up. He said so much to me on Jurai, and I babbled out way too much junk to him, thanks to Washu's truth serum. But I'm afraid to rush into anything and scare him off. He said he didn't like it when I got pushy and when I took things too far. So now...well...how far is too far for an earthling, anyway? I guess I'm clueless about this planet in the ways that matter."

Ryo Ohki's mew sounded almost like a laugh, and Ryoko batted the cabbit playfully across the ears.

"Don't you start with me." She warned. "You don't know anything more about earth men than I do, so don't pretend you do. And at least I haven't gone soft over a creature like that Ken Ohki...I always thought you'd have better taste."

Ryo Ohki yowled, ruffling up her fur in indignation, and Ryoko laughed.

"So you can dish it out but you can't take it." She teased. "Well, we may never see them again, you know. Not now the reward for my head is no longer active. Nagi can't hunt me across space and hope to claim anything for doing so, not now. And if she was to come after me, and more, to kill me...well, that would be murder, and the courts would soon deal with it. I doubt she's interested enough in chasing someone just for the honour of fighting me again. She hasn't beaten me yet...not decisively. I doubt she'll want to come back for more now."

Ryo Ohki looked mournful, dropping her head back down onto her paws, and Ryoko shook her head.

"You'll get over it. You'll see." She said reassuringly. "And you do like the Earth, don't you, Ryo Ohki? I mean, you don't want to leave?"

Ryo Ohki rubbed her head up against her mistress's arm, and Ryoko nodded.

"That's what I thought." She murmured. "All right. Then we'll stay here for a while and see what happens. Time is what Tenchi and I need. Time now Ayeka is married and now it really is just the two of us. We've taken a gamble, bringing things out in the open and being serious with our feelings for the first time. I won't rush him."

She leant back, gazing up once more at the stars.

"And hey, who knows. I might even do some chores around the house, if it gets me futher into his good books." She mused. "What do you think? I might make a good housekeeper...especially since I can reach all the places he can't."

She shrugged, stifling a yawn.

"Oh well. Plenty of time for that when the sun is up." She decided, more to herself than to the cabbit at her side. "For now, it's just you, me and the moon, Ryo Ohki. I can live with that."

-------------------

Silence.

In the shade of a tree, a sole figure crouched, dazed and disorientated as she tried to put together everything that had just taken place. Glancing down at her hands, she saw traces of red still tinting the tips of her fingernails and a shadow touched her expression. Yes, she remembered all to clearly. She had been aboard a spaceship...and then she had been hurtling through an expanse of nothing, held together only by the comforting tendrils of Tsunami's waning magic.

So this was it.

Her past.

She struggled to her feet, rubbing her stiff arms and legs as her body protested at the sudden movement. Every limb and joint felt out of sync, like she had been pulled all ways on her journey here, but she gritted her teeth, ignoring the twinges and aches as best she could. Above her head, an owl hooted, fluttering out of the tree's branches and making her jump. She raised a hand, light glowing at the edges of her fingers as she assessed the potential danger, but she could see nothing.

With a sigh she fell back against the tree trunk, closing her eyes. She needed to calm down, and try and remember clearly all that the Goddess had told her. Snippets of their final conversation dashed through her head, dancing and teasing at her tired senses as she struggled to make sense of it all.

"This is not Jurai." She murmured at length. "But this tree...this tree is a tree of Jurai nonetheless. Tsunami's magic connects her to all Jurai life...but what is a tree of Jurai doing on such foreign soil? Is this the Earth she talked about? The distant world Sasami-denka loved so much when she was a small child?"

She took a few cautious steps forward, into the moonlight as she surveyed her surroundings. Although it was dark, the moon's glow bathed the area in a soft light and she could see the peaceful, untroubled terrain - the soft grass beneath her feet and, up ahead, the stone steps that led up the mountain to a structure the like of which she had never seen. Strange characters adorned the gateway, too distant for her to make them out, and she frowned.

"I don't understand." She muttered. "Why did she send me here?"

Turning her back on the steps, she continued along the pathway, cherry trees flanking her path. As she walked, delicate pink petals dropped around her in the breeze, giving the effect of a sudden snowfall. To the young woman, the effect was both confusing and disturbing, and she brushed them quickly off her, speeding up her pace as she hurried through the landscape.

With all her experience of trees, she knew better than to trust the fruit or flower of a stranger.

At length she reached the end of the path, and as she rounded the corner, a settlement loomed out of the blackness, stark and alone and nestled in the shelf of the mountain face. For a moment she stood there, just staring at it's unfamiliar structure. Then she pursed her lips.

"Where am I?" She asked herself helplessly. "Tsunami, I wish you were here to answer my questions! I at least thought you were sending me to a time when you would be there to guide me. Instead I'm lost in the wilderness of a planet I've never visited, among a culture and a people I know nothing about. What connects Jurai to this strange land? Other than the fact it shared Jurai's fate under the Darkness...I don't see how being here could have any kind of impact on Jurai and the future of my world. Kagato and Souja are on Jurai - I don't understand!"

As she drew closer to the house, she was aware of a silhouette on the roof, shaded against the moon's light and instinctively she flickered out of view, taking refuge behind a nearby tree as she squinted in the direction of the stranger. Whoever they were, she decided, they were unaware of her presence. She knew little about life on this strange planet, but she knew that it was as well to be wary. If her short life had taught her anything, it had taught her to be on her guard against potential threats, and she drew her fingers together, sparks of light glimmering at the tips as she debated whether to make herself known or to risk being ambushed. This was strange terrain, after all.

She glanced up at the sky, taking in the foreign shape of the Earth moon as it shone over the landscape. Despite herself, she shivered. She was cold and alone, miles and years from her home, and on a mission which could see her erased from existance completely. In the blackness, it was a sobering thought, and for a brief second she considered reneging on her word and fleeing into the night, creating a new life amongst this world of quiet and trees and beauty. Then, as if bidden by the Goddess herself, an image of the dead woman in her arms flickered across her consciousness and she frowned, drawing her brows together in determination.

"No." She said quietly. "I won't let them down. Have strength, Nozomi. Tsunami is relying on me. I won't forsake her trust, not when she's spent so much of her own energy sending me back here."

"Well, we have a visitor, do we?"

A voice echoed out of the darkness, startling her and, berating her lapse in attention she wheeled around, fingers sparking with golden light as she faced the speaker. With her back to the moon, the woman's features were concealed from view, but there was no mistaking the veiled warning in her tones.

A bolt of light glimmered out of the darkness, missing Nozomi's feet by inches and she caught her breath in her throat, narrowing her eyes.

"Who are you!" She exclaimed. "What do you want? Why are you attacking me?"

"I should be asking you those questions." The stranger's voice, disembodied and eerie came back. "You can't tell me you mean no harm, when you're poised and ready to fire at me within a moment's notice. "You should know now that I'm not someone you want to fight. Take that as a friendly warning, and drop your hands."

There was a moment of hesitation, then Nozomi lowered her fingers, pursing her lips.

"Good choice." Her companion's silhouette flickered and blurred out of view, and for a moment she thought she was alone. Then she felt hands on her shoulders, and she let out a yell. There was the sound of soft laughter not far from her ear, and with a jerk she found herself lifted bodily off the ground, shooting up into the sky towards the stars and the strange silver moon.

"Now you can tell me your name, or I can force it out of you." The stranger told her nonchalantly. "Call me old fashioned but I don't take too many chances when someone's stalking around the place. Who are you, and more importantly, who sent you? Because you aren't from Earth, that's for sure. You can't pretend you're just another of Tenchi's strange neighbours."

"I don't have to tell you anything."

"I could drop you."

"Drop me then. I don't care."

"I see." There was a moment of silence, then, "So you can fly too, is that it?"

"Maybe I can." Nozomi gathered her wits, wrestling free of the other's grip and launching a blast of golden energy into the sky. "Maybe I can fight back just as well as you can - did you ever stop to think that maybe you're taking on more than you expected?"

"Touche." From the blackness, a volley of orange light countered Nozomi's effort, sending sparks flying up into the sky. "But you'll have to go one better than that to catch me off guard."

"And you'll have to go one better than that to get any information out of me." Nozomi shot back, raising her hands as if to prepare another blast. "Because there's plenty more where that came from, and I'm not afraid of a fight."

"Good. That always makes it interesting." Her companion observed, and shards of orange light glowed and shot across the sky, moulding into one and flaring out into a long blade. "So show me what you've got. I'm waiting. You won't get any nearer to Tenchi's home if I have anything to say about it."

"I don't even know who Tenchi is." Nozomi protested, parrying the blow of the sword with a desperate flood of golden energy. She flickered out of her opponant's direct line of fire, re-appearing in the air behind her and putting her palms together once more as she drew on as much of her magic as she could muster. She was still tired and dizzy from Tsunami's spell, but despite that her fingers flickered with light once more, and she took careful aim.

"Clever...but I'm not so easily fooled." The woman's voice was behind her now, and she gasped, swinging around as the flares of light faded from her fingers. In the dim glow of the moon, she could just make out the widening smile on her foe's face, as hands gripped her tightly once more, holding her fast. "And I'm done playing games with you. Who are you and what are you doing here? And don't lie to me, or it will just be worse for you."

"I'm not saying anything. Not to you." Nozomi struggled, but she could not break the woman's grip. "Let me go!"

"Not until you tell me what I want to know." The pressure around her wrists grew firmer, and Nozomi winced.

"You're hurting me!"

"Good. Then you might answer my question a bit quicker. Who are you?"

"None of your business!"

"Wrong answer!"

With a sudden jolting movement, Nozomi was aware that her captor had changed direction, dropping with speed towards the Earth below. "Last chance, or we hit the dirt and believe me, it's going to hurt."

Nozomi closed her eyes, bracing herself for impact, but with another jerk, the woman stopped midflight, hovering bare inches from the ground.

"Well? Or do I have to bury you in the core of this planet first?"

Flares of orange light flickered around her, and despite herself, Nozomi felt her nerve slipping. She was tired, and it had already been a long and traumatic evening. She bit her lip, struggling to keep her composure, but it was no good. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath into her lungs.

"Nozomi." She managed.

"Right, now we're getting somewhere." The woman seemed pleased. "And where are you from, Nozomi? Because you're not from Earth, are you?"

"And you are?"

"No, I'm not." The woman agreed. "But that's no surprise to you, is it? I expect you know exactly who I am and that's why you're here. Who sent you? Was it Washu? Or was it Nagi, still on my trail after all this time? Well? I'm waiting. Which one was it? It takes more than a girl like you to ruffle my feathers."

"Tsunami-kami-sama." Nozomi blurted out, regretting it the moment the word had left her lips. Much to her surprise, the grip around her wrists loosened, and she found herself free.

"Sasami?" Shock entered the woman's voice. "So you're from Jurai? From Sasami?"

"Sasami-denka!" Nozomi spat out. "Do you have no respect for the Empress of all Jurai?"

"_Empress_?" 

There was a moment of silence, then,

"Sasami is not the Empress of Jurai. She's not even in line. Azusa-heika is Emperor. Sasami is just his niece...just a little girl. I don't know what you think you're trying to pull, but it's growing old, fast. Stop playing games and tell me the truth. Who sent you? Was it Washu?"

Nozomi did not answer, shutting her lips firmly, and there was a sigh from the blackness.

"Very well." the voice sounded resigned, and Nozomi felt the grip on her wrist once more. "Then we'll talk inside. Come with me. I want to get to the bottom of this and I want to know why you're spying on Tenchi's home like this. It's not polite, you know."

Nozomi fought against the grip, but before she could wrench herself free she felt her world flicker and blur around her. Frantically she struggled to get to grips with her own form, but she soon realised that this was not being driven by her own magic at all. Whoever held her had the same matter shifting abilities and no matter how hard she fought against it, she could not break free of the other's spell.

At length the world settled itself into some kind of order and she opened her eyes, realising she was inside the settlement. She shielded her eyes against the sudden light, taking in the panel walls and the strange, sparse furniture that decorated the interior of the building.

"Right. Now I think we have things to discuss, don't we?" The woman's voice came from behind her, and she found herself wheeled around to face her captor for the first time, taking in the bright amber eyes that burned with life and the look of determination on the stranger's face. Defiance became disbelief, and she took a step backwards, lowering the hands she had raised to defend herself.

"I don't believe it." She whispered. "_Mother_?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

There was a stiff breeze blowing through the chamber that morning.

Sasami drew her cloak more tightly around her shoulders as she squared herself for what she had decided to do. Whether the eerie breeze and the whispering of the trees were all in her head or were real she did not know - but the images from her most recent night's dreaming haunted her still. It was beyond doubt now, in her mind. She knew with startling clarity that Tsunami had fed her visions of her future - a future in which people had died and in which Jurai would cease even to exist.

A fresh chill ran through her at this thought, and she swallowed hard, determination flickering in her eyes. Whether they wanted to hear her or not, she was going to make them listen.

"I'm not a little girl any more." She muttered to herself as she cast a brief glance at her reflection in the mirror pool, half expecting to see the grown woman's face stare back. She knew now who the woman was - Tsunami-sama, Empress of Jurai - but today her own pale, peaked face stared back, shadows smudging her pretty eyes and a troubled frown across her lips.

"I'm not a child." She told herself again, as if trying to make herself believe her own words. "And I'm going to make Uncle Azusa listen to me if it's the last thing that I do!"

With this final pep talk, she pushed back the door of her chamber, almost tripping over Kamadake as she did so. She let out a cry of surprise as the knight started, then offered her his apologies, a mixture of dismay and sheepishness on his young face. Sasami eyed him for a moment, then made up her mind.

"Kamadake-san, I want to see the Emperor." She said quietly. "Do you know if he is engaged this morning?"

Kamadake stared at her, obviously confused by the adult words that fell from the child's lips. He spread his hands.

"I don't know, Sasami-hime. I've been here all the time - on your Lord Father's orders, to make sure you have no further upset nights."

"I see." Sasami's expression became grave. "You mean, in case I start walking through the palace and stealing things again?"

"Sasami-hime..."

"No, Kamadake, I know what they think of me, even if it's not what they say to my face." Sasami sighed. "They think I'm losing my mind, and perhaps I am. But I can't help it. Will you come with me to Uncle Azusa's throne room? I have to speak to him and it is urgent. But I...I don't think I want to go alone."

The solemn note in her voice faltered into doubt as she stared up at the knight, and he offered her a formal bow.

"I will come with you, if it's what you want." He said quietly. "I think your Lord Father would rather I was with you anyway, Sasami-hime. He is worried about you."

"Yes, I know." Sasami glanced down at the floor. "Thank you, Kamadake. The palace seems so lonely now Ayeka isn't here and I miss her so much. I hope she and Takeru-san are back on Jurai soon. Everyone has gone away, except for you and Azaka. And I don't like it at all. I don't want to be all on my own like this."

Kamadake eyed her keenly, as they fell into step together along the passageway towards the Throne Room.

"Well, Azaka and I will not be leaving Jurai any time soon." He said quietly. "You know we are sworn to protect both you and Ayeka, Sasami-dono. And we will do so as long as we are needed."

"I know." Sasami admitted. "I guess I'm just feeling a little unsettled today, that's all. I haven't been sleeping very well recently."

"Perhaps you should see a physician."

"I already did. They can't help. It's not a medical problem." Sasami pulled a face. "I don't think there's any remedy for hearing ghosts."

At this moment they arrived at the Throne Room, and Kamadake offered the young princess another bow.

"You will want to speak to your Uncle alone." He said softly. "Whatever it is you have to say to him, Sasami-denka, you must not have fear. Azusa-heika is always a fair man. You know that. He will hear you out."

Sasami stared at the knight in surprise, then a smile touched her lips.

"Thank you, Kamadake." She said solemnly. "Will you wait for me?"

"With pleasure, my lady." Kamadake bowed his head once more, and Sasami took a deep breath, placing both hands on the Throne Room door and then giving it one hard push. It swung open beneath her touch, revealing a chamber devoid of people, and for a moment she hesitated, afraid that her uncle had chosen to spend the morning elsewhere instead. Then, from the top level, three tiers of steps up from the entranceway, she heard a voice call her name. She glanced up, seeing the Emperor standing watching her, a smile on his face.

"Well, Sasami-chan. This is an unexpected surprise." He said playfully, as she made her way up the steps towards him. "I didn't know you wanted to see me. I'm supposed to hold session in here in just a little while - is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yes, Uncle." Sasami nodded her head, hurrying up the remainder of the steps and then pausing some feet away from him, hesitating and then bowing her head in the way she had seen the men of his court give deference to him as Emperor. "Azusa-heika, I must speak to you about something important."

When she raised her gaze to him, it was to see confusion on the Emperor's face, and she bit her lip as an awkward silence fell between them. Then Azusa seemed to gather himself, holding out a hand to her and she took it carefully, allowing him to lead her to the throne and taking the seat which he indicated at his side.

"You seem so solemn." He said, after a moment of consideration. "Am I speaking to my niece this morning, Sasami-chan? Or am I speaking to the lady Tsunami? Because you have never bowed to me that way before."

Sasami's eyes opened wide with surprise.

"Does that mean you believe me, Uncle Azusa?" She asked, all pretence of formality gone as she stared at him. "You don't think I'm crazy like Father does?"

"Sasami-chan, I have never thought you crazy, and nor has your father." Azusa's face broke into a smile. "We're far too fond of you for that. And you come from too good a line to succumb to mental debility. No, I promise we neither of us think that way."

He squeezed the hand which he still held, looking down at her kindly.

"And I am coming to believe you." He admitted. "I wasn't sure, Sasami-chan. Not at first. It seemed so impossible...and well, I think it's true to say neither your father or myself wanted such a burden to fall on your head. Had it been Ayeka...well, she's a young woman now. An adult and Crown Princess in her own right. Such a thing should fall to her. But you? You're still a child, and it's so important to be a child while you still can."

Sasami sat back against her seat, relief flickering in her expression.

"But you do believe me."

"Yes, Sasami-chan. And so does your father, even if he hasn't brought himself to say so to you." Azusa nodded his head gravely. "Is that why you came here this morning, with so much formality? It's unlike you to stand on ceremony...something must be on your mind."

"Something is." Sasami admitted, leaning up against the throne as she remembered her dream. "Uncle, Tsunami's been giving me strange dreams - you know that, don't you?"

"Yes. What of them?"

"Most of them have been vague." Sasami toyed with the edges of her cloak, biting her lip. "But the last one was so vivid, Uncle. Vivid and unmistakeable. I had to come at once and tell you, even if you didn't believe me. Tsunami showed me a future where Jurai ceased to even exist. It was overwhelmed by dark magic - a power which Tsunami couldn't even control. I...I was with her, part of her, but not somehow. It was confusing...I could feel and think her thoughts and still have my own feelings somewhere deep inside of her, though I couldn't let them run free. And...and many people were dead, Uncle."

She took a deep breath.

"You, Ayeka...everyone." She added, her voice trembling slightly. "I was Empress, but I couldn't stop the wave of darkness. Uncle, I'm scared. Really scared. I don't want to be alone, and I don't want Jurai to die!"

Now the tears threatened to fall and it took tremendous effort to bite them back down. She glanced up at her Uncle, seeing little of comfort in his expression.

"I see." He said at length. "And in this dream, did Tsunami happen to tell you where the darkness came from?"

"Yes." Sasami's voice was little more than a whisper as she battled her emotions, determined not to cry. "Kagato's tree, Uncle Azusa. Souja. It was Kagato-dono who destroyed Jurai. Washu-san was right - he is alive and he will come back to kill all of us if we don't do something to stop him!"

"Washu-san..." Azusa's expression became thoughtful and he rubbed his beard, falling silent for several minutes as he ruminated on her words. Sasami eyed him anxiously.

"Uncle?"

"Sasami-chan, you have done the right thing in coming to me." Azusa seemed to raise himself from his reverie, squeezing her hand and offering her a gentle smile. "And so has Tsunami. If what you've seen is the true future, then we must indeed discover more about Souja and the possibility that Kagato is not dead after all. Perhaps it would be well to have words with Washu-san, also."

"Washu is no longer on Jurai, Uncle." Sasami shook her head. "She left with Ryoko and Tenchi. She hoped to convince Ryoko to help, but they've none of them come back so I guess..."

She faltered, then shook her head.

"I guess they're not coming." She murmured.

Azusa pursed his lips.

"All right, Sasami-chan. You must leave this with me now." He said gently. "I promise, I shall give it every consideration. Meantime, you must try not to worry. Tsunami exists to protect all of us - and simply because she shows you a future, it doesn't mean that that future must be. What she's given you is a warning - so that you, and I, and all of us can try and change it before it's too late. So have no fear. All will be well. I promise."

He leant over to kiss her on the forehead. "Run along, my dear. It's my problem to handle now. You have done your share."

Sasami scrambled to her feet, nodding her head.

"Thank you, Azusa-heika." She said, very properly bowing her head to him once more. Then, the harum-scarum child once again, she ran helter-skelter down the steps, skirts flying out behind her as she yanked open the door. Kamadake was awaiting her in the hallway, and he offered her a smile as she made her exit.

"So the Honoured Emperor has put your mind at rest?" He asked softly. Sasami nodded.

"He believed me." She said, a smile touching her lips. "And he says he'll do something...so we'll see, Kamadake. After all, he is the Emperor. I just know he'll think of something!"

--------------------

"So let me get this straight."

Tenchi rubbed the sleep from his eyes, leaning up against the doorway to the front room as he attempted to absorb the situation in front of him. "Your name is Nozomi, you come from the future and you were sent here by Tsunami-sama to...to do what?"

"To change the past." Nozomi cast an apprehensive glance across the room at the space pirate that stood guard over her, electricity still flickering occasionally from her fingers and an unreadable expression on her face. "To prevent Jurai and Earth being destroyed."

"I never heard such a pile of rubbish." Ryoko said darkly. "Tenchi, don't tell me you actually believe her? This is some ruse, that's all. Probably some game of Washu's - I wouldn't put it past her!"

"I don't know who Washu is!" Nozomi exclaimed. "I don't know why Tsunami sent me to the Earth, except that you're here and that must be part of it. I know she wanted me to find you, Okaa-san. She said to me very specifically before I left that I was to hunt you down and..."

She faltered, meeting the dark glint in the other woman's eye.

"Stop calling me that." Ryoko's words were like ice. "I mean it, else I'll barbeque you right here and now. I'm no such thing and the sooner you stop playing games and tell us the truth, the better it will be for everyone."

"But I am telling you the truth!" A note of helplessness welled up in Nozomi's voice, and Tenchi shook his head slowly.

"Well, someone is going to have to explain to Grandpa why there's a brand new hole under the window, and why there's no glass left in the frame." He said at length, casting Ryoko a pointed look. The pirate grimaced.

"So I got a little annoyed when she called me...that word. I'm sorry, Tenchi. I didn't mean to blow half the wall off...it was aimed at her but she teleported out of my way, the little sneak."

"And I'm amazed you didn't manage to wake anyone else up." Tenchi continued, his gaze flickering over Nozomi as he did so. "Ryoko, you've got to learn to keep grips on your temper. We don't know anything about this girl yet, and she might be telling us the truth. Did you think of that?"

"How can she be telling us the truth?" Ryoko said sullenly, folding her arms across her chest. "Don't you think I'd know if I was mother to a mouthy brat like this one?"

She jerked a foot in Nozomi's direction, and the girl flinched.

"I'm not a liar!" She protested. "I'm here because Tsunami-sama sent me here and that's the truth! I can't tell you any other story because there isn't anything else to say! Okaa..."

"I warned you!"

"Ryoko-san." Nozomi corrected herself. "That's why I'm here. I swear it."

Tenchi sighed.

"All right. This isn't getting us anywhere." He said at length. "Ryoko, I'm willing to hear her side of the story. You know as well as I do that stranger things have happened since the two of us met. I don't see why this is any less possible than any of those things. It's possible that Nozomi is telling us the truth...but we won't know for sure until we at least hear what she has to say. She obviously came looking for you for a reason...maybe we should listen to it."

"I told you. It's Washu." Ryoko muttered. "Who else would pull a prank like this?"

"But I already said that I don't know who Washu is!" Nozomi's eyes glinted with tears of frustration. "Oh, why won't you believe me? I'm not lying to you, that's the real truth!"

Tenchi eyed the girl for a moment, taking in her features one by one. Her thick, wavy hair, the colour of malachite, was pulled back from her face in a style not dissimilar to how he had seen Ayeka and Sasami wear their hair, he thought, at least to his eyes. Her complexion was pale, with an upturned nose that spoke of a mischievous character beneath her sombre dignity, and her eyes...

With a jolt, he realised where he had seen those eyes before. His gaze flitted between Ryoko and Nozomi, taking in the different expressions on their faces. And yet, the same amber-gold eyes stared back at him, although one pair was dark with irritation, and the other sparking with frustration. He sighed.

"She has your eyes, Ryoko." He said softly.

Surprise flooded Ryoko's features at this, and she hauled the unsuspecting girl to her feet, holding her by the shoulders as she examined Nozomi's eyes for herself. Nozomi struggled against her grip.

"Put me down!" She demanded. "Stop man-handling me!"

"I don't see it." Ryoko let the girl go, and Nozomi dropped back down onto the couch, shooting her companion a wary look as she did so. "They're gold - so what? Lots of people probably have gold eyes. You're just being taken in, Tenchi - that's all. Don't fall for her lies...this is all just some plot of Washu's and we're both going to look pretty silly if we start buying into it."

"Well, better to look silly than to look dead!" Nozomi's temper flared up at this and she was on her feet, glaring at the other woman, her hands on her hips. "If you don't listen to me, that's what you'll be, Ryoko-san! And it won't be a nice quiet ending, either! You can take it from me because I know! I was there and I saw exactly what happened! And then I saw Jurai explode into nothing more than space debris..."

She faltered, too choked to continue, and Tenchi crossed the room, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down." He said softly. "You'll wake Father and Grandpa, and this arguing isn't going to do any of us any good. Nozomi, I want to hear what you have to say. Whether I believe it or not, I don't know yet. But I'm willing to listen - if you'll speak to me."

"Gladly." Nozomi nodded her head. "But it was _her_ Tsunami-sama sent me to find, and if she won't listen to me, what's the point in me coming here at all?"

"Tenchi, are you actually going to take notice of this idiot?" Ryoko demanded. Tenchi shrugged his shoulders.

"We should hear her out." He said simply. "That's all. I'm making no snap decisions, Ryoko. I just want to know what her story is. That's all."

"You're choosing her side against me?" Ryoko's eyes opened wide with hurt and dismay. Tenchi sighed, shaking his head.

"No, Ryoko-chan. I'm not." He said quietly. "But if Nozomi is lying, no harm is done. If she isn't..."

He paused, meeting her gaze with a tender one of his own.

"Then the future could mean death for all of us." He added. "I don't think we can risk not listening to her."

"Well, fine. You play tell a story with the brat." Ryoko's expression became obstinate. "It's late and I've not been to bed yet. You can wake me in the morning - after you've kicked the charlatan out on her ear. All right?"

"Ryoko!"

"Goodnight, Tenchi." Ryoko flickered and blurred out of sight, and Tenchi sighed, shaking his head slowly. He glanced at Nozomi, whose expression had become unreadable at their exchange.

"I'm sorry." He said at length. "I think you've given her quite a shock."

"I didn't imagine it would be like this, when I finally got to speak to my mother face to face." Nozomi was not far from tears, and with a jolt Tenchi realised that she was little more than a girl herself, dressed though she was in the garb of a Juraian woman. He sat down, indicating for her to sit beside him, and, hesitantly, she did so, casting him a doubtful look.

"How old are you, Nozomi?" He asked gently.

"Sixteen summers." Nozomi got a hold on her emotions, meeting his gaze with a steady one of her own. "But that doesn't make me a child, Tenchi-san. I've been Lady In Waiting and Companion to Tsunami-sama for the last four years, more or less. And in the last one, since she became Empress of Jurai, I've become more than that. I've become the only one she trusts in. I'm not a child so don't treat me like I am."

"I wasn't going to." Tenchi assured her. "I just want to get to the bottom of this. Why you're here and whether what you say is the truth. That's all."

Nozomi sighed, burying her head in her hands.

"It's the truth. I swear it on the Goddess's name." She said after a moment. "I was sent here by Tsunami-sama as Jurai's last hope. Earth's, too. But I didn't expect to be sent to this planet. The trouble is all on Jurai, that's where the source of it is. I can only think that Tsunami-sama sent me to where Mot...where Ryoko-san would be, because that's who she sent me back here to find. I...I didn't know you had sentient trees on Earth, too - but she transported me using the life energy of the tree not far from here."

"As a rule we don't. Ryu Oh belongs to Princess Ayeka." Tenchi said with a smile. "He liked Earth so much, he decided to stay here permanently - or something along those lines."

"I see." Nozomi bit her lip. "Yes, I remember that Ayeka-heika's tree was called Ryu Oh."

"So in your world, Ayeka was the Empress? And then Sasami?" Tenchi asked gently. Nozomi nodded.

"As the Darkness spread, so people died." She agreed soberly. "It was like a poison, Tenchi-san. I can't explain it any other way. A sickness that afflicted the Juraian Royal House, one by one. Sasami-denka was the only one who survived...but she did it at a cost. She was forced to assimilate with the Goddess in order to resist the poison and it was too soon. Neither of them were ready, and it cost her dear. Now she hasn't the strength or cohesion to win this battle. It's a lost fight...or it will be, unless I can find a way to stop it all from happening."

"It's a lot that rests on your shoulders."

"There is only me left." Nozomi shrugged. "Everyone else is dead. Everyone. And if your planet is dead too, Tenchi-san, I expect you and your family are also lost. I don't know."

"You said that you didn't know your mother." Tenchi remembered, sitting back in the seat. "So how can you be so sure that Ryoko is it?"

"Because Tsunami-sama told me so." Nozomi admitted.

"Could she have been mistaken?"

"No...I don't think so." Nozomi shook her head. "Tell me, Tenchi-san - have you heard the name Kagato before?"

"Yes." A shadow touched Tenchi's face. "So that's it, then? Kagato is behind this darkness you're telling me about?"

"Kagato is the darkness." Nozomi looked haunted. "Almost as if he were a God himself. There were so many cults of Kagato springing up around the planet. Sasami-denka said it was because Souja's roots poisoned the ground, tainted the water and drove people to madness. I don't know if she was right, but I know that they worshipped him like a God, sure enough. Then, when he was strong and ready, they awoke him. And he wrought destruction on the whole planet over the course of four years."

"And I thought I'd killed the man once." Tenchi glanced at his hands. "If you're telling me the truth, Nozomi - Washu was right. Kagato did survive our battle, and did seek refuge in Souja's tree. Maybe we should have listened to what she said more clearly. Maybe she could have told us more."

"I really don't know who that is." Nozomi admitted. "But Tsunami-sama did tell me that she tried to prevent Kagato's rising in this time, but that she failed. She said it had something to do with Mother - I don't know what - and that Mother blamed herself. When she died, Tenchi-san, she died because...because of me."

Her words shook.

"Tsunami only had enough power left to heal one of us." She whispered. "Mother asked her to save me. And she died. I was with her...but I couldn't help her."

"I see." Tenchi pursed his lips. "I have to admit, that does sound like something Ryoko would do - believing that somehow she could come out of it her own way, and take the risk. But what makes you so certain she's your mother? Maybe, if you'd come at her from a different angle, she'd have been more prepared to hear your story. As it is, now you've upset and unsettled her...I don't know. She can be stubborn - you really don't realise how stubborn."

"Ryoko-san is a descendant of Kagato." Nozomi said quietly. "Isn't that right? Tsunami-sama told me it was so."

"Yes...he was - is - her father." Tenchi nodded his confirmation. "Though estranged. They've never been on terms. Why?"

"When the Priests of Kagato raised his spirit, they used my blood to do it." Nozomi's voice wavered. "Because I was a descendant of Kagato. That's how I know, Tenchi-san. Tsunami-sama told me the truth. My blood is her blood and they used me to raise his spirit from the Tree. It's not a memory I'll easily forget - I thought they were going to kill me."

She glanced at her hands, and for the first time Tenchi could see the faint hints of red around her nails, harsh reminders of what the girl had been through. "Sasami-denka gave me the name Nozomi, but my true name is Moriko. At least, that was the name I was given growing up. Child of the Forest. Their chosen one."

Tenchi eyed the girl keenly.

"I think I believe you." He admitted. "But convincing Ryoko that you're on the level, that's another matter. Once she has an idea, it can be hard to shift it."

Nozomi sent him a curious glance.

"Do you love her, Tenchi-san?" She asked. "I know nothing about my mother's life at all. Not really. Only the little bits Tsunami-sama told me. That's all."

An embarrassed look touched Tenchi's expression, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Yes." He admitted. "Very much, if you want the truth."

"Even though she blows holes in the wall of your house?" Nozomi looked non-plussed. Tenchi laughed.

"Oh, that's nothing. You get used to it." He assured her. "You should see what she did to the oven the last time she tried to cook."

Nozomi sighed.

"It must be nice." She reflected. "Just being here, not worrying about anything else. Just living your life in this beautiful place, with it's peace and quiet. I can see why she came here...I admit I was tempted at first to just run into the night and forget all about my world. But I couldn't do it, Tenchi-san. I couldn't let Tsunami-sama down. Not after all she's done for me. In some ways she became like a sister, in others like a mother. I wouldn't forsake her, even if I don't really know what I'm supposed to do here."

"She didn't give you any real clues?"

"Only that it had to do with my mother and a choice she made in this time." Nozomi shrugged her shoulders. "Which could be anything at all. It would help if I knew her better, but so far she just wants to kill me, and I haven't made a great first impression."

She bit her lip.

"I did hope it would be different, if I ever had the chance to meet her." She added. "But I guess not."

"I'll talk to her." Tenchi promised. "But for now, it is late. She was right about that. You have nowhere else to go, so you can stay here tonight. I'm afraid it will mean the sofa, but you must be tired after the day you've had, and everything will be fresher when the sun is up."

"Thank you." Surprise mingled with gratitude flickered into Nozomi's gold eyes, and Tenchi was struck once again by their similarity to the headstrong space pirate's. "I can see why Mother likes you. You're a kind man, Tenchi-san."

"Well, I'm glad you think so." Tenchi laughed, scratching his head in embarrassment. "I'm not so sure it's true. Try to get some sleep, Nozomi. Tomorrow, we'll see what we can straighten out. And I won't let Ryoko blast you out through the roof, I promise. I'll talk to her. Tomorrow."

"If she tried, she might get a surprise." Nozomi assured him. "I'm not completely defenceless. I'm just...just tired."

She stifled a yawn, and Tenchi got to his feet, casting her a grin.

"Then rest." He told her. "And tomorrow we'll work out exactly what we're going to do about all of this - if we even can!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"It doesn't make any sense!"

Washu cast a hopeless grimace at the computer screen, letting out a cry of frustration as she dispersed it with a swipe of her fist. "This is hopeless! What am I trying to achieve here? I can prove Kagato's still alive, but that's about all I can do! All my readings are flawed - incomplete! I need more information...I need a backup plan and I just don't have one!"

She groaned, getting to her feet and pacing across the large expanse that made up her laboratory, her brows knitted together as she ran over her options in her head. 

"I know Ryoko's genetic structure like the back of my hand. I could recite her ribonucleic acid values with my eyes shut." She muttered. "But Tsunami-sama - that's something else. Something beyond my understanding. Even with all the time I've spent with Sasami, I don't know anything important about her. No statistics, no data, nothing. I'm unprepared and badly researched! And now I'm holed away here in the middle of subspace dabbling in something that I just can't see my way around. It's hopeless. I can't get anywhere like this!"

She reached out a hand, hitting a sequence of buttons on a keypad as she passed, and a large screen flickered into life, replaying over and over the snippet of memory-film she had of Tenchi's battle with Kagato. Again and again she watched the man fall, the cloud of eerie dust rising from his body, then flickering into nothing. Again and again she relived the man's death, looking for one tiny clue that might spell his weakness. But there was none.

"There must be something that I'm missing." She said aloud, sinking down onto the chair that spun across the room out of nowhere, programmed to catch her wherever she halted. "But if there is, I can't see what it is. Maybe I miscalculated in a bigger way. Ryoko is a strong pirate, but she's no match for a demon like Kagato. Even if she'd been properly trained...I couldn't have imagined he'd have honed his magic to this level. But is it a level Tsunami can match? I wish I could quantify her...but even when the data reader was picking signals from Souja's tree, it detected nothing at all from Sasami. As if the woman didn't even exist...even when she was right there talking to the child. It's beyond my understanding."

The screen above her flickered and blurred at that moment, and she frowned, staring up at it as an unfamiliar face flashed onto the monitor, his featured fuzzed and grainy through the inter-dimensional transmission.

"Hey! Who are you and what do you want?" She exclaimed, brows creasing in annoyance. "I'm working down here - don't you know it's bad manners to barge in on someone like that?"

"Professor Washu Hakubi!" The man did not seem at all perturbed by her show of indignation, merely fixing her with an impassive gaze. "You have been summoned to Jurai on urgent business. I must ask you to leave this place and come aboard my ship at once!"

"What?" Washu stared. "Jurai? But I just left that place! Haru-dono pretty much kicked me out - now he wants me back? What is this about? How dare you barge in here and think you can tell me what to do! This is my area of subspace and I didn't invite you so you can just go and get your own, okay? I'm working on something and I don't want to be disturbed!"

She stretched her arm across for the 'fire' button, pressing it down and shooting a beam of flame through the dimensional doorway, missing the craft by mere inches. "Go on with you! Get lost! Jurai has no authority here - they should have spoken to me when they had me on hand!"

"Washu-sensei, we will not ask you nicely again." The man's brow twitched in irritation. "Further hostile activity will see you faced with severe penalties under Jurai law. We have the authority of the Galaxy Police to patrol this sector, in order to pursue Jurai business. You are summoned at the Emperor's will. Surrender yourself to us immediately."

Washu bit her lip, her finger hovering once more over the 'fire' button. For a moment, nothing moved, then slowly, she withdrew her hand from the weapon panel, folding it in her lap with it's partner.

"And if I choose not to come with you, of my own accord?" She asked softly, an edge to her voice. "The Galaxy Police might think it's fine for you to go barging into people's private lives, but I happen to disagree. More, I happen to know that it's against space regulations to forcibly remove someone from their home without due explanation. Tell me what it is the Emperor wants with me so badly. I've done nothing wrong."

"The Emperor wishes to speak with you on a matter of great concern to Jurai." The man told her stiffly. "The details of which have not been made known to me. However, I am aware that it is of the utmost importance and urgency that you return to the planet Jurai. Once there, I am sure he will make everything plain to you."

"What if I refuse?"

"Then we have authority to take you by force, Washu-sensei." The man's eyes grew cold. "Our ships have the technology to penetrate subspace. I would not advise further resistance. We have no wish to harm you or damage your dwelling."

"I see." Washu pursed her lips, suddenly conscious of the silver capsule that was hidden deep in the folds of her gown. She hesitated for a moment, then sighed.

"Your Emperor has a lot to learn about manners." She said at length. "To come outside of Jurai jurisdiction with an order such as this - he must be in a real flap about something."

"The Emperor requires your company at the Palace of Jurai as soon as possible, Washu-sensei." The man responded curtly. "Will you come aboard of your own free will, or must we take you by force?"

"Am I under arrest?"

"No, Washu-sensei."

"Then why all this talk of force?" Washu demanded. "Do you think I'm some meek little mad professor who shuts herself away in her own world and has no concept of her rights in space and time? This whole business is beyond belief. You have no right to be here. No right at all!"

"This is your last chance to surrender yourself to me, Washu-sensei. Otherwise we will be forced to open fire on your laboratory." The man was unmoved. Washu bit her lip, casting a regretful glance around at her surroundings. Then she sighed, nodding her head.

"All right, already. Hold your horses." She said frankly. "I'll come aboard. But believe me, I want to know the name of your superior officer and someone to whom I can make a formal complaint on Jurai when I get there. You people might think you own the universe, but some sectors of it are still free of Jurai rule and there are a lot of us who'd quite like it to stay that way!"

------------------------------

"Ryoko?"

Ryoko glanced down from her perch over the shrine gateway, a shadow touching her features as she saw Tenchi standing beneath, his expression both troubled and anxious as he met her gaze. She sighed, leaning back on her elbows.

"I know what you're going to say. The answer is no." She said flatly. "If she's still in the house, Tenchi, I'm not coming back there. I don't care if she's fooled you with her little rigmarole. I'm having none of it. She's not my daughter. She's not from the future. She's some...some decoy or something, and I'm not going to be tricked by her, so you can forget all about changing my mind. I'm staying up here until she's gone. End of discussion."

"_Ryoko_." Tenchi sighed, leaning against the arch as he shook his head slowly. "Won't you just come down and listen to me for a second? I'm getting a crick in my neck staring up at you like this, and the sun's glaring in my eyes at this angle. Please, Ryoko? I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do. I just want you to hear me out for a minute or two. That's all."

"I told you. I'm not coming down." Ryoko folded her arms across her chest, tossing her head defiantly. "If you want to talk to me so badly, you come up here. I'm not moving."

"Fine." There was a sigh, then the sound of footsteps, and despite herself, Ryoko's heart tugged as she heard him heading away. He had given up so easily, she mused. Was he so fooled by this new arrival that he didn't even notice how wrong the whole thing seemed?

She sighed, stretching out on her back and staring up at the sky. What had seemed like a peaceful stretch of stars the night before suddenly seemed like a stifling wave of blue this morning, trapping her back in the world she thought they'd left behind when Ryo Ohki had finally touched down onto planet Earth. All the fighting, all the stress, all the bad memories...they had let it all go and she had hoped it would last a little longer.

"But that's not my luck. Something always has to come and ruin it." She muttered. "And, true to form, it's some girl from Jurai dragging Tenchi's attention away!"

The sudden clatter of wood on wood made her start, sitting up as she glanced down below her in disbelief. Katsuhito's strong shrine ladder had been propped against the gateway, and, a look of determination on his face, Tenchi was mounting it rung by rung, finally pulling himself up opposite her on the narrow wooden beam. For a moment, she just stared at him in disbelief. Then she frowned.

"You don't get brownie points for that, you know." She said frankly.

"But now I'm up here, you have to listen." Tenchi responded. "So stop sulking for a moment and hear me out, will you? I don't know why you've taken such a hate at this poor kid. She might well be your flesh and blood - and you're behaving like a child younger than she is!"

"Well, it's nice to know how you really feel." Ryoko snapped, hurt in her tone. "I might have known you'd take her side. You've always had a soft spot for Juraians, haven't you?"

"Obviously, considering you're as much one as any of the others!" Tenchi exclaimed. Then he sighed. "No. I'm not going to fight with you. Ryoko-chan, that isn't what I want. And I'm not choosing sides against you. You should know by now that that's something I wouldn't do."

"No, I know by now that you have trouble taking any sides at all." Ryoko said flatly, dropping her gaze to the beam. Absently she ran her finger along the wood grain, letting out a sigh. "Tenchi, why is it that whenever we finally have some peace and quiet and time to ourselves, something or someone has to throw themselves into our path? Ayeka. Sasami. The Galaxy Police. Washu. Now this girl? I just want to spend time with you when the world isn't about to fall on our heads. Is that ever going to happen? Or are we doomed to wind up in this situation for the rest of our lives?"

"I wish I could answer that." Tenchi looked pensive. He reached over to take her hand, wobbling slightly and knocking the ladder to the ground with a thud. Ryoko grabbed him, steadying him on the beam.

"Don't kill yourself on my account." She scolded him gently. "I might be mad at you, but I don't want to have to bury you just yet."

"Good to know." A rueful smile touched Tenchi's lips. "I'm not really cut out for your perches, am I?"

"No, but then that's just another thing that makes us different." Ryoko let out a heavy sigh. "Another thing between us, Tenchi. I don't know. And now this girl...why did you ask her to stay at the house last night? What were you thinking? You don't even know who she is."

"I know as much about her as I did about you the first night you stopped with us." Tenchi reminded her. "And as I remember it, most of what you told us that night was actually a lie. Did you really think I was going to throw her out in the wilderness, on a strange planet she doesn't know? Ryoko, she's only sixteen!"

"Sixteen is plenty old enough to have your wits about you." Ryoko shrugged her shoulders. "I was a space pirate when I was sixteen, Tenchi. And a hard-bitten one at that, too. Don't think her age excuses anything. It doesn't. She fights like an adult and that's good enough for me."

Tenchi chewed on his lip.

"So I gather." He acknowledged. "You had quite a barney going last night, didn't you?"

"Well, we would have, if you hadn't woken up and stopped it." Ryoko replied simply. "It was just getting started when you came downstairs."

"Tell me something, Ryoko-chan." Tenchi looked thoughful. "When she fought you, what techniques did she use? Did she have magic? You said she teleported. What else did she do?"

"Why?" Ryoko looked confused. Tenchi spread his hands.

"Curious." He admitted. "Wanting to know more about our strange visitor and what tricks she has up her sleeve."

"Well, she flew." Ryoko chewed on her nail absently as she considered. "And yes, she teleported. Little sneak, it's her fault there's a hole in the wall. I hope you told your grandfather that. If she'd not moved..."

"There would have been a hole in Nozomi, instead." Tenchi said dryly. "Go on."

"Well, that's about it, really." Ryoko frowned. "No, she shot bolts of energy at me, but that's pretty basic stuff. Why all the interest, Tenchi?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't she a touch young for you, now?"

"Ryoko, this isn't about that." Tenchi grimaced at her. "Stop being insecure and jealous, will you? And think for a minute about the magic you just described. Who does it remind you of?"

"Remind me of?" Ryoko's brows drew together in confusion. "I don't follow."

"Teleportation. Flight. Energy blasts." Tenchi counted them off on his fingers. "Ringing any bells yet?"

Ryoko's frown deepened, then suddenly, a look of comprehension flooded her golden eyes, followed by one of consternation as the implication of his words sank in fully.

"You think they remind you of me, don't you?" She murmured. Tenchi nodded his head.

"Yes, I do." He admitted. "Because whether you like it or not, Ryoko-chan, I think she's telling us the truth. I think she is your daughter, and that she has been sent back here by Tsunami or Sasami - whichever one it is - to try and undo something that hasn't been done yet. I spoke to her last night, and she told me a little more about herself and about the situation she witnessed. And I got to thinking - how did she get here without a spaceship, if she's from Jurai? Clearly she's not from the Earth. But there's no ship around here, is there?"

"If Washu sent her, she wouldn't need a ship. Just one of her weird little portal things." Ryoko pointed out.

"True enough, but if Washu had sent her - and I think it highly unlikely that she did - she would have had to have left her laboratory, returned to Jurai, found this girl, given her a back story, pushed her into the Earth..." Tenchi trailed off, shaking his head. "No, it just doesn't make sense that way, Ryoko. She wouldn't have had the time to go to all this trouble and besides, I don't think this is Washu's style. I think showing up aboard Ryo Ohki was one thing. I don't think she'd go to these lengths just to make you listen to her."

"You think?" Ryoko was surprised. "I'm not so sure."

Tenchi shuffled carefully forwards, taking Ryoko's other hand and placing them both between his.

"Listen, Ryoko-chan." he murmured. "Nozomi told me...about how you died. In her world. You did it to preserve her life. You made Tsunami-sama save her, at your own cost. And you know, for a girl who knows nothing about you, she's scarily accurate about how cheap you value your own existance when someone you care about is in peril. You might not know her in this world. She might not even exist. But in that world she was your daughter, and you gave up all to give her a chance of life. That rang more true with me than anything else she said, you know. Because you did the same thing for me aboard Haki. You would have thrown your life away protecting me there. It's just how you are."

A faint blush touched Ryoko's cheeks, and she dropped her gaze.

"I don't know." She said slowly. "I don't like any of it, Tenchi. I've never even stopped and imagined the idea that I might have a child. And all of this..."

She faltered, shaking her head.

"I don't like it." She repeated. "And I don't want to believe that it's real."

"But you do believe it, don't you?" Tenchi eyed her in surprise. Ryoko grimaced.

"I don't know." She admitted. "I just don't. I mean, it all seems so crazy. Far fetched. Ridiculous. But then..."

"But then, those are pretty much the usual keywords when you and I get dragged into something." Tenchi said ruefully. "Aren't they?"

"Yes, they are." Ryoko closed her eyes briefly. "And I'm getting a little sick of it, if you want the truth."

"Well, there seems to be only one way to clear it all up as far as I can see." Tenchi pursed his lips. "If we want to work out where Nozomi came from and if any or all of this story of hers is really true, we need to go to Jurai and speak to Sasami. Didn't Washu say she'd been having prophetic dreams? If that's true, maybe she can give us some clue as to whether Nozomi is right and whether this really is a warning from our future. What do you think?"

"I think we're about to embark on another flight to that crazy, horrible planet again." Ryoko looked resigned. "Just great. Although..."

She paused, turning her gaze in the direction of the house.

"Considering the hole in the wall, it might be a good idea to leave Earth for a few days. Let your Grandpa get over the shock of his new air conditioning system."

Tenchi chuckled.

"Yes, that is true." He admitted. "I don't imagine he or Father will be all that amused."

Ryoko sighed.

"All right." She said, getting to her feet and pulling him up with her. "I suppose this means we've got to go speak to that girl. Though I'm telling you, Tenchi. I'm not having her call me Mother. It creeps me out and I won't believe that it's true. So you make sure she gets that into her head, all right? My name is Ryoko. She'd better learn to use it because I won't be Okaa-san to any strange waif who shows up at your door."

"I think that's fair enough." Tenchi nodded.

"And if it turns out this is a wild goose chase, she'll live to regret it." Ryoko continued, clenching her fists. "I mean it. I'm sick of being pushed from pillar to post without getting a choice in the matter. If I discover this is one of Washu's games..."

"Well, we'll find all of that out in due course." Tenchi reminded her. "And for the time being, we should talk things out with her and see what we can learn before we set off into space. She told me a fair bit last night, Ryoko, but I'd like you to hear it for yourself. And there may be more - she was very tired and shook up after your battle. I think you frightened her, though I'm not sure she'd admit it."

"Of course I did." Ryoko said frankly. "You're lucky you have someone as alert as me watching over your home, Tenchi. Who knows who might break in otherwise?"

"Yeah, except that it was you who broke the window." Tenchi teased. Ryoko looked sheepish.

"Well, okay, so sometimes I'm over-zealous." She admitted. "It's a bad habit of mine. Noone's perfect."

"You'll do." Tenchi assured her affectionately. "And thank you for not blasting me off the beam, too. It meant a lot that you listened to me, even though you were feeling so odd about it all."

"I find it hard to say no to you." Ryoko's cheeks pinkened. "Which is a royal pain sometimes, but there you go. You look at me in this certain way...it's hard to fight back when you do."

"I'll have to remember that." Tenchi looked amused. He paused, then cast a glance down at his fallen ladder. "Er, Ryoko?"

"Yes?"

"Care to give me a lift down from here? I think I'm stranded."

"Well, I might do that for you." Ryoko's golden eyes twinkled with humour as she took in his expression. "What would you do without me, Tenchi-chan?"

"Probably not climb shrine gateways and perch on rooftops and beams as much as I do." Tenchi replied ruefully. "Just get me down from here, will you? I should probably go explain to Grandpa about the wall and then, well, we really need to speak to Nozomi properly...find out exactly how we can help sort out this mess she's found herself in the middle of!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"What is this all about, Azusa-heika?"

As she was marshalled into the Throne Room, Washu stared up at the Emperor, a frown crossing her face as she took in his sombre expression. It had been a long and difficult trip to Jurai, surrounded by people who would not give her any straight answers, and by now she was at the end of her patience, determined to get to the bottom of the whole situation as soon as she could. And yet, a silent fear gnawed away at the back of her mind. Had they discovered that she had the gems? Was that why she had been dragged there so summarily?

"Why have you had me brought back to Jurai? My laboratory isn't within your jurisdiction, you know - I'm sure you've contravened some law or other in sending your men out to grab me like this!"

"My sincerest apologies, Washu-sensei." Azusa bowed his head slightly as if acknowledging the slight. "We had urgent need to speak with you. You need not concern yourself about the legalities. Lord Haru spoke to our friends at the Galaxy Police and they gave us permission to come and collect you, since it was a matter of such urgency. A matter potentially affecting Juraian security, in fact."

"So I gathered." Washu's expression reflected a mixture of disgust and resignment. "Trust the Galaxy Police - if Jurai calls, they're there like a flash."

"Well, we like to keep a healthy working relationship with them." Haru nodded his head, folding his arms across his chest. "Washu-san, let me cut to the chase. Azusa-dono has asked me to carry out this interrogation based on the laws and principles of the Planet of Jurai. We believe that you are witholding important information about Tsunami and about strange events which have been plaguing my youngest daughter, the Princess Sasami. That being the case, we are within our rights to question you, and in some detail."

"I see." Washu sat down on the chaise he indicated, folding her arms across her chest. "And if I have nothing to say about those things, Haru-dono? I believe I gave you all the information I could the last time that we met. I'm afraid there's not much else I can do in the way of helping you."

"Well, so you have told us." Haru inclined his head in agreement. "But unfortunately we're unable to simply take your word for it that that is the case. You must understand, Washu-san, that the safety of this planet is of utmost importance to me. But nothing at all is of more importance to me than the safety and security of either of my little girls."

"Your girls are not so little now, Haru-dono." Washu shot him a piercing look. "Ayeka-denka is married and Sasami-dono is growing into a young lady. You just don't want to admit that, that's all. All children grow and develop in their own way. I have healthy respect for both the Crown Princess and her young sister. But I have never meant either one of them any harm, and that's the truth."

"We shall be the judge of that." Haru said primly. He raised a hand, gesturing to a guard that stood by the door and the man advanced on the group, a strange look in his eye. In a moment, Washu realised the danger that she was in, and she got to her feet, making to leave. The guard was too quick for her, however, and he grabbed her firmly by the wrists, holding her still.

"You are familiar, I know, with the method of interrogation by truth serum." Haru's voice was soft in her ear, and though she struggled, she was unable to free herself from the guard's grip. "We know very little about your biology, Washu-san, so we've taken no chances on this session. This room you find yourself called to is shielded against any magic foreign to Jurai, so you will not be able to use your spells and incantations to escape us. You would do well not to struggle. It will be a much quicker process if you do not."

"There are some questions that should never be asked." Washu struggled harder, and Haru gestured for a second guard to join them. He did so, holding her firmly at the other side as between them the two men pinioned her down on the chaise, leaving her almost unable to move. Haru cast her a thoughtful look. Then he lifted a large syringe off the table by the door, carefully injecting her with the silverish serum. Washu felt the prick, and then the cold, numbing sensation washing through her body. She bit her lip, struggling once more against the guard's grip. No matter what, she told herself feverishly, she must not talk to these men about the things which troubled her the most.

"Washu-san, I am sorry for all of this." Azusa's voice was gentle, and somehow the apologetic tone in it made her all the more angry. "It is unorthodox, I realise, but there are things we must discover."

"I thought you had to have an impartial witness present at any interrogation!" Washu spat out. "I don't see anyone impartial at this one! Let me go, Azusa-heika! You're breaking all of your own laws by holding me here and you know it!"

"The laws of interrogation only apply to an inquisition carried out pending charge." Haru told her serenely. "We are simply interested in gaining information from you. Unfortunately, since you are so adept at concealing the truth, we have had to resort to extreme measures."

"What makes you think your serum will make me talk, anyway?" Washu demanded. "If you don't know anything about my biology, how do you know it will have any effect on me?"

"Well, we'll soon find out, won't we?" Haru took a seat to one side, fixing her with a level gaze. "Since you're obviously so apprehensive about this discussion, I'm working on the premise that the drug will have some kind of impact on you."

He eyed her keenly for a moment, then,

"It should have had time to take effect." He added. "So we'll begin with a few simple questions about your own purpose here on Jurai, Washu-sensei. Why you became involved with my daughter Ayeka in the first place, and why you seem so keen to take Sasami to Souja's tree, even though you must have known it was off limits to people, with very stringent penalties attached."

Washu eyed him obstinately, clamping her mouth shut as she fought tooth and nail against the drug's effect. She closed her eyes, struggling once more against the grip of the guardsmen, but it was futile. They had her held fast and without her own magic, she was unable to throw a forcefield up around herself to protect her.

"Washu-san! Answer my question!"

"You didn't ask me a question." Washu's eyes snapped open, boring into those of her inquisitor with a mixture of hate and defiance. "So I can't really answer, can I?"

"Damn you, must you be so pedantic?" Haru's eyes narrowed. "Very well. Why did you become involved with Ayeka-denka? Tell me that."

"Which time, Haru-dono? The time I helped to rescue her from Haki or the time I helped to rescue her from Kagato?" There was an edge to Washu's tone, and Haru glared at her.

"I want the truth, Washu-san! What is your connection to Lady Ayeka?"

"We're friends." Washu said simply.

"And the Lady Sasami? Why did you take her to such a dangerous place on Jurai?"

"Ask Lady Sasami." Washu fought again against the drug's suggestions and won, glaring up at him triumphantly. "I've nothing to say on that subject!"

"Haru-chan, this isn't working." Azusa said softly. "Clearly your serum is not taking it's usual effect...perhaps we should look at an alternate means of interrogation."

"The serum will work." Haru shook his head. "If that amount isn't enough to break through her will, then we'll just have to give her a little bit more. That's all."

"More?" Azusa's eyes opened wide. "Haru-chan, is that really necessary?"

"Brother, we need to get to the bottom of all of these things that are happening to Sasami." From where she was held down, Washu saw the glance that went between the two men at this. "Misaki-chan said that Sasami trusted Washu. That she seemed to know more than anyone else about what was going on. And you said it yourself. We both know this woman knows more than she's told us so far. Do you want answers or do you want more questions? This is the whole reason we brought Washu-sensei to Jurai. Do you really wish to stop this, here and now?"

There was a long silence, then Azusa let out a sigh. He shook his head, and Washu's heart skipped a beat inside her chest as she felt the prick of a second syringe, flooding her body and her senses with more of the enticing truth drug. Words spilled through her mind, confusing her and it was all she could do to hold them back. At length she managed to regain a modicum of control, sending Haru the dirtiest look she could muster.

"Do you think this is an honourable way to treat a visitor to Jurai?" She asked quietly. "The behaviour that recommends a Prince of this planet to a stranger?"

"You're no stranger to Jurai, and you're a visitor here at the Emperor's pleasure." Haru said stiffly. "Enough games, Washu-san. We will get to the bottom of this, whether it be in a few minutes or a few hours. The choice is yours, you know - the sooner you tell us what we want to know, the sooner this will all be over."

Washu eyed him mutinously, but did not reply, and Haru settled himself back in his seat.

"Tell me why you took Sasami-dono to Souja's tree."

"Because someone had to." Washu muttered, hate in her expression. "And you weren't exactly listening to her when she tried to ask you for your help! You're blind, the both of you. Stupid and trapped in your own world of Jurai politics and high society. You don't realise what's going on right in front of your nose! Sasami went to Souja because she and I both knew she had to go there. At least I listened to her. It's more than either of you did."

"What exactly is going on, Washu-san?"

"If you're that stupid, you'll need a more patient teacher than me to point it out." Washu snapped, and Haru's eyes became mere slits as he regarded her.

"Are you going to fight us every step of the way?" He asked, his tones dangerously low. "I have a good amount of serum, Washu-san, and I am more than prepared to use it if need be. Think about that before you let your cockiness prevent you from answering. You can fight the drug all you want, but in the end you will tell us what we need to know. Do you really want to make it so difficult for yourself?"

Washu clamped her mouth shut once more, putting every single part of her strength into fighting the urge to speak. Haru sighed, shaking his head slowly. He got to his feet, retrieving a third syringe from the table, and then returning to his post, eying her carefully.

"I did warn you." He said softly. "I must commend you on your strength of will, Washu-san. Few are able to fight against one dose. I have never known anyone to fight so valiantly against two doses. But a third dose will break down your reserves. Of that I assure you."

Washu flinched as the needle penetrated her body once more, a cold, hard sensation washing over her as it did so. For an instant she felt like she was drowning, and she closed her eyes, struggling valiently once more against her captors to no avail.

"Stop this!" She exclaimed. "There are questions that shouldn't be answered, Haru-dono - and it's not the action of a Prince to force truth out of a lady!"

"I haven't yet determined exactly what you are, Washu-san." Haru set down the syringe. "But maybe now we can talk properly. Tell us what you know about Tsunami...about the tree of life."

"Tsunami?" Washu's eyes opened wide with surprise. "She's Jurai's goddess - the tribal princess who is the foundation of all life on this planet."

"And what has she to do with my daughter, Sasami?"

"You must be stupid indeed if you don't know that." Washu snapped. "Sasami is Tsunami's chosen one. They are connected, and Sasami receives thoughts and feelings from Tsunami, dreams that prophesy the future or show pictures that are real. She came to me because noone else would listen to her."

"So you believe that Tsunami and Sasami are indeed connected?" Azusa asked softly. Washu nodded impatiently.

"Of course they are. Any fool can see that." She said flatly. "But I can't tell you how they became linked, Azusa-heika. The magic of this world defies scientific explanation and I am not of your planet. I only know that the legend is coming true - that Tsunami-sama is rising again in one of her family's descendants and that descendant is Sasami-denka. Even as a scientist, I know that to be the truth. You would do well to listen to all she says, before it's the worse for your world."

"I see." Azusa hesitated, then, "And you believe that Jurai is in peril?"

"Well, it stands to reason." Washu agreed. "Considering that Tsunami wouldn't be awoken for anything less important."

"And the danger relates to Souja's tree?" Haru demanded. Washu nodded her head slightly, closing her eyes for a moment as the room swam before them, then focusing once more on the Prince at her side.

"Kagato's spirit sleeps within Souja." She said quietly. "I've done readings, compared data and there is no doubt. Your Prince of Darkness is still with us, and growing stronger every day he's alive. Tenchi-dono slew the man but not the whole being. He's inside Souja, tormenting the poor tree with his dark spirit and preparing himself for his revenge on Jurai. That I am absolutely sure of. All of my scientific research points to such a thing."

"What is your connection to Kagato, Washu-san?" Haru asked slowly. "You seem inordinately interested in his affairs, considering you once worked together on Jurai...and considering his household paid a large amount of money towards your research."

"I have no connection to Kagato." Washu snapped. "I just saw him for what he was. You saw him as Yosho's reflection - a young knight who was brave and strong. I saw him as evil personified, hiding beneath a cloak of smiles. My people are known for such insight. You probably don't know that, but it's true all the same. It's hard to conceal true character from us, Haru-dono."

Her lips twisted into a derisive smile.

"I'm sure you'd like to hear my impressions of _your_ true nature."

"This is not the time." Azusa said softly. "Washu-san, we need to know what exactly you were working on under Kagato's patronage, all those years ago on Jurai. It seems to me that a lot of things happened then. I have read Haru's reports and it seems that a summer or two after you were here, you were summarily evicted from the Science Academy and thrown into exile on the Planet Earth. Prince Kagato's influence was behind this - isn't that the case?"

"Yes, I believe so." Washu agreed. "Though I never had proof. It was the Lady Aiko's household that objected. Lady Aiko and her son never did appear at my tribunal, however."

"The Lady Aiko died a mere handful of years following." Azusa added. "Her death remains a mystery even now. Do you believe there to be a connection?"

"You mean, did Kagato-dono kill his mother?" Washu shrugged. "How would I know? I was sealed in a cave at the back of beyond. Ask me another."

She closed her eyes again, struggling to maintain her concentration. 

"Washu-san, your work." Haru said frankly. "What did you work on, with Lord Kagato, that might have driven him to want you exiled? Every other soul who worked on the project is dead, we know that. And you were imprisoned, possibly on his orders. What was so top secret that he had to silence you all?"

A pained look flitted across Washu's face, and beads of perspiration formed on her brow as she fought against the influence of the serum. It was to no avail, however, and with a sigh, her body went slack against the chaise as the fight seeped out of her.

"The gems." She whispered. "The Dark Heart...the gems."

Haru reacted with shock at this, turning to exchange looks with his brother, whose expression was equally stunned.

"The Dark Heart?" He demanded. "What on earth can you have had to do with those gems? Noone who isn't of Jurai blood can even lay fingers to them. Even some who are have not managed it. What do you mean, Washu-san? What kind of project involves sacred gemstones such as those?"

"Kagato's scientists had...discovered a way of transferring...energy to...crystal." Washu spoke weakly now, the impact of the drug overwhelming her senses completely. "He wanted to try and use the same technique on...on the gemstones from the volcano. So he set up his project and I was...was part of it. He claimed he was doing it for the Emperor's benefit, but...but I discovered he was tuning them to his own line. I think he meant to use them then, in rebellion against the throne. He wanted to use them to...to amplify his own power."

Silence greeted her statement, then Azusa let out a sigh.

"And you were involved in this?"

"Until I discovered his true purpose, yes." Washu inclined her head slightly. "The project interested me. Few scientists get the chance of working with such powerful magics, and with the patronage of a Prince such as Kagato-dono. It would have been foolish for me to have turned it down."

"And after you found out what he was really doing?" Haru demanded. "What then?"

Washu met his gaze with a sad one of her own.

"I stole the gems and left Jurai." She said flatly. "I'd built a unit for them to be stored in, while we were running our tests. I stole them from his chamber one morning while he slept. And I left."

"I see." Azusa pursed his lips. "Why did you take them with you, Washu-san? Why not come to the Imperial Throne and explain what you had discovered?"

"Would you have believed me?" Washu was bitter. "A primitive, demon creature from a planet long dead, speaking against the beloved son of Jurai? No, I don't think so. I would have been treated like a criminal - like you're treating me now! So I made the decision to return to the Academy. It was the only place I knew to go."

"And what did you do with the gems then?" Haru demanded. "Did you try and harness their energy for your own ends?"

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose I did." Washu's voice became distant, a pensive expression crossing her face. "I gave them to Kichi. For Ryoko."

A look of distress entered her green eyes at this admission, and she bit her lip, shaking her head as if to clear it.

"Ryoko." Haru's lip curled in disgust. "Again we come back to that pirate woman. Why is it we can never be free of her, Azusa? Confound her arrogance...what possible connection could she have to all of this?"

"It seems that Ryoko is more intertwined with the Royal House of Jurai than any of us first imagined." Azusa admitted. He turned his gaze on the stricken scientist.

"So you took the gems, knowing that Ryoko was Kagato's daughter and as such, she would one day be able to use them? Is that it?"

"Yes." Washu nodded slightly. "He had altered them to recognise his genetic structure. Well, as his daughter, Ryoko was the best hope any of us had of manipulating that power. She would have been so strong, too, if not for Kichi's death."

She sighed.

"I hoped one day she'd have been a match for him." She admitted faintly. "But I failed to take so much into account."

"Who is this Kichi that you keep mentioning?" Haru demanded.

"Kichi was Ryoko's mother." Azusa said softly. "Isn't that right, Washu-san?"

Dismay flickered across Washu's expression and she struggled valiently against the truth drug one last time, but it was to no avail. She let out another sigh.

"No." She admitted reluctantly. "No, Azusa-heika. That was a lie. A ruse. Nothing more."

Azusa's brows drew together in confusion.

"But Ryoko believes it." He said at length. "Washu-san, I don't understand. If this woman we found murdered on Yubisu was not Ryoko's mother, then who was? Who spawned the child that you hoped to make into a weapon against Kagato?"

Tears glittered in Washu's eyes.

"Me." She whispered. "Ryoko is my daughter, Azusa-heika."

"I knew it!" Haru let out an exclamation, pointing his finger at the hapless scientist. "She is in league with Kagato! They were working together in ways I can't bear to imagine, slurring the house of Jurai and bringing a noble Prince down to his disgrace! See, from her own lips, Azusa! She admits to it!"

"Please!" Indignation flooded through Washu at this suggestion and she gathered herself, shooting the Prince a dark look. "I'm a scientist, I'm not a harlot. I wouldn't let that man anywhere near me if he should have been so inclined - but we worked, that summer. We didn't play. No, Haru-dono. You are mistaken. Ryoko is Kagato's daughter, and mine also. But there was nothing between the Prince and I. Not ever. Nothing except the deepest loathing on my part, I assure you."

"How can you say that, when you claim motherhood of that awful girl!"

"I told you. I'm a scientist." Washu said coldly. "I took samples of Kagato's genetic material back to the Academy with me. I took supplies and set up a laboratory in a remote region of sub-space, planning and studying the best way to get the results I wanted. Ryoko was a lab experiment. A biological project for which I used my own DNA as a base. My people's genetic material is coded to be recessive and so there was no trouble combining it with the blood of Jurai. I developed her to term and then I gave her to Kichi to raise. I returned to the Academy and I remained there until my exile. I never returned to Yubisu or spoke to Kichi again."

Regret tinged her expression.

"So you see, I probably put her in Kagato's line of fire." She admitted. "But she knew the risks when she agreed to become a part of my project. And as I told you, the experiment failed. Ryoko is no match for Kagato, and the gems fell into the wrong hands for a long time."

Azusa shook his head slowly.

"That poor little girl." He said softly. "Is that all she is to you, Washu-san? A lab experiment gone wrong?"

Washu closed her eyes, a tear trickling down her cheek at the reproach in his words.

"What mother could think so of her child?" She murmured. "No, Azusa-heika. I was determined not to bond with her, but it's impossible when you see them grow and develop before you, changing every day into a real miracle. I withdrew from her life in the hope that I'd protect them both from Kagato, should he realise what became of the gems and come looking for me. But I also did it so I wouldn't bond with a child whose purpose in life would be to kill or be killed."

She swallowed hard.

"Please." She whispered. "No more questions. I've had enough...I can't..."

She faltered, and Azusa frowned.

"I have but one more thing to ask of you, Washu-san." He said gravely. "One more question, that is all."

Washu's eyes fluttered open, gazing at him dully.

"Do you know the whereabouts of the Dark Heart and it's sisters now?"

Washu bit her lip. Then she nodded. With some difficulty, she manoeuvred her hand against the guard's grip on her shoulders, sliding her hand into the folds of her outfit and withdrawing it slowly, the silver capsule clutched between her fingers. Haru let out a cry of disbelief.

"The Dark Heart! Azusa, how is this possible!"

"Sasami-denka gave them to me." Washu said wearily. "Because she felt I was the only one who knew what they were meant for. And she's right, Haru-dono. She's known much of this that you've dragged from me for a while now. She knows why Ryoko came to be, and what her purpose was. She's seen my girl fight with these gems and knows her spirit as well as I do. She believes, as I do, that Ryoko must take them again if we're to have any chance of beating Kagato - however slight that chance may be. But Ryoko won't take them, and so far I haven't been able to persuade her."

"All right." Azusa sighed heavily. "Haru, enough. Take Professor Hakubi back to her chamber and let her rest and recover from this afternoon's ordeal. We have much to think on as it is."

"And the Dark Heart, Azusa?" Haru looked questioning, his hands hovering to take the capsule from Washu's grip. Azusa shrugged.

"As the Lady Sasami wills it." He said quietly. "They shall stay with Washu-san for the time being."

"But...!" Haru began to protest, but Azusa held up his hand.

"No, Haru." He said mildly. "Washu-san has told us much truth, I believe what she says is correct. We must indeed believe in your youngest daughter's convictions. If she thinks Washu should have the gems, then for the time being, that's how it will be."

Haru looked rebellious, but he made no demure. Instead he withdrew his hand, gesturing to the guards who held Washu firm.

"Release her." He said quietly. "This interrogation is concluded."

At once the guardsmen loosened their grasp on the scientist and she struggled to sit up, putting her hands to her head as the world twisted and swam before her.

"You're a heathen, you know that?" She snapped, rubbing her temples. "One dose of that stuff is bad enough, but three!"

"You had your chance to do it the easy way." Haru said unrepentantly. "You brought it upon yourself."

He gestured to the guards again.

"Take her to her chamber." He ordered. "And see that she doesn't leave Jurai without our say so. I suspect that we will have further need of her in the days to come."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"So Sasami sent you back here to annoy us because if you don't, the world is essentially going to come to an end?"

Ryoko dropped down onto the couch, stretching out on her front as she fixed Nozomi with a penetrating stare. "And because you're such a good little follower of the Goddess, you didn't stop to ask any questions about it, but jumped right on in and said you'd do it. But you don't know why she sent you to me, why Earth, or what exactly you have to change? Am I understanding all of this properly?"

Nozomi flushed red to the roots of her hair, sending the pirate a dark look as she did so.

"There wasn't exactly time." she snapped. "Tsunami was weakening. I don't know how much of her power it cost her to connect herself with Ryu Oh here on the Earth and send me so far back into the past. I don't know if she managed to hold out against Kagato, or if he took her too, while she was expending so much energy trying to save her world. She told me that it was a decision you made, and you blamed yourself for it when everything went wrong. That's about all she did say. You have to realise, Ryoko-san, I didn't know you. I saw you for the first time when you came to Tsunami-sama's Throne Room and demanded an interview with the Empress. How would I know what kind of decision it would be? I barely knew who you were."

"And you don't know if it's a decision she's already made, or one that she's about to make?" Tenchi asked quietly. Nozomi shook her head.

"No." She agreed. "Tsunami didn't say. Just that it was a decision made in the past. That somehow she'd failed where she should have succeeded, and everything had spiralled as a result."

"Maybe it was the decision to have you." Ryoko said flatly. "I can see how I'd live to regret that."

"That wasn't nice!" Hurt flooded Nozomi's expression at this. "You're not being fair to me, you know! I came here to help you!"

"So you say." Ryoko glared at her. "We've noone's word to back it up."

"I still think that our best course of action is to go to Jurai, and speak to Sasami." Tenchi said with a shrug. He sighed, leaning across the table and scooping up the Juraian sword that lay there, running his finger absently over the ornate carving on the hilt. "I hoped I wouldn't need this again so soon, but something tells me that I will."

"What _is_ that?" Nozomi eyed it curiously. "It looks Juraian - but I never saw it before."

"It's the sword for which I'm named. Tenchi. Heaven and Earth." Tenchi explained, casting her a smile. "My grandfather gave it to me. Like you, Nozomi, I have Juraian ancestry. Although in some ways mine is buried far deeper than your own."

"I see." Nozomi pursed her lips. "So you have magic also?"

"When it decides to obey me, yes."

"Can we save the heirloom talk for another occasion?" Ryoko snapped. "It's all very interesting, but it doesn't get to the bottom of why this pipsqueak has invaded our privacy and our personal space."

"Ryoko-san is right." Nozomi sighed. "But there's not much more I can tell you. I've already told you everything Tsunami said to me - pretty much word for word. That's all I know. I swear."

"Maybe." Ryoko pursed her lips. "But you know what? I have a feeling I know exactly what the decision is. And you know something else? I don't regret making it. You won't change my mind. If the world dies, then there's not much point any of us living beyond it, is there? I'm not going to be anyone's pawn, Nozomi. You can take that to your Goddess and tell her what I think. All right?"

"Hang on a minute." Tenchi held up his hands. "We're getting off the track. Ryoko, what do you mean? What decision?"

"Tenchi, don't be dense." Ryoko shook her head. "Washu offered me the gems and I turned her down. What else would it be? It has to be tied into those devil crystals somewhere along the line. You must realise that."

"But it isn't the only decision you've made recently." Tenchi pointed out. "You decided to leave Jurai - that could have been it. You decided to stop pursuing your past. There's another. And then there's something else, also."

He faltered, then,

"Something you and I decided, after your battle with Haki." He added slowly. "If you know what I'm talking about."

Dismay flooded Ryoko's golden eyes and she shook her head.

"That's another decision I'd never go back on." She said firmly. "No matter if the world blew up a thousand times around me. I'm not letting you go, Tenchi - if that means I die in some horrific way, well, so be it. I'll take it. I'm not going back to being alone. Not now."

"All of those things could have been the decision Tsunami-sama meant." Nozomi gazed at her hands, absently rubbing at the fading blood stains that still tinged her nails red at the edges. "I don't know which one it would be. I don't know about any gems. Tsunami didn't mention jewels or anything like that. I know you're Kagato's daughter, Ryoko-san - so I thought it might be a decision you made regarding him. But it's difficult to know."

She sighed.

"I wondered if it did involve me, actually." She admitted carefully. "Since my father was so involved in the cult of Kagato. And since he used me...and my blood link to the Prince - to awaken Kagato's spirit in the first place. It would explain why you came to Jurai when you did. It did occur to me..."

She frowned, halting in mid-speech as she registered the pirate's expression. Ryoko had gone very white, and a strange look had entered her amber gold eyes.

"What did you just say?" Her voice was low, edged with danger, and Nozomi could see flickers of orange light dancing around the woman's fingertips. Despite herself, she bit her lip.

"Tenchi-san said you weren't going to attack me again!" She protested. "I'm only trying to tell you what happened in my world, if you'd just stop and listen to me for a moment!"

"I asked you a question." Ryoko stood, standing a foot or so away from the younger girl and glaring down at her, her words like drops of ice falling from her lips. "Answer me."

"I don't know what you mean." Nozomi glanced at Tenchi for help, but Tenchi's brows were drawn together in confusion also.

"Ryoko, what's wrong?" He murmured, reaching out a hand to take hers, but Ryoko pulled it out of his reach, putting her hands on her hips.

"You said...your father...used you to wake Kagato." she said forbodingly. "Is that right? Is that what you said?"

"Yes...but I was just a child. I didn't know what he was going to do until he did it, and that's the truth." Nozomi responded. "They took blood from me and sprinkled it on the tree, then the sky went dark. I know it's my fault - I don't pretend that it isn't - but I didn't do it on purpose! I didn't mean to bring him back alive - it's just what happened!"

"That's not what I mean." Ryoko's eyes glinted dangerously and with one sweeping movement she had pulled the girl to her feet, pushing her back against the door. "I meant the other bit. About your father."

"I don't understand?"

"Oh, don't you?" Light shimmered around Ryoko's hand, flickering and strengthening into her sabre as she glared at the hapless girl. "I came here prepared to listen to some rubbish, but I won't take that from you. How dare you suggest I'd betray Tenchi in that way? It's bad enough that you keep insisting you're my daughter, when I'm pretty damn sure that you're not. But that someone else would be your father...some worshipper of Kagato...how dare you imply such a thing!"

"But I..." Nozomi's eyes opened wide with fear, taken completely off-guard by the suddeness of Ryoko's temperament change. Dimly she was aware of Tenchi's voice in the background, urging the angry pirate to calm down, but it was to no avail. He reached for his sword, but a deft, glancing blow from Ryoko's free hand knocked it from his grip, sending it skidding across the floor where it came to a rest not far from the wall.

"Tenchi, keep out of this." Ryoko said darkly. "She's questioning my honour...I'm not going to stand for that!"

"Ryoko, please!" Tenchi exclaimed. "This isn't helping anything! Who knows what the circumstances were? It's not Nozomi's fault if things turned out that way, so don't take it out on her! That's not why Tsunami sent her to find you, you know!"

"I don't care." Ryoko lifted her blade to Nozomi's throat, pinning her back against the wood panelling as she did so. "Now you're going to tell me the truth, you little worm. Tell me you're lying."

"I can only tell you what I know!" Nozomi fought to retain her composure, meeting her companion's angry gold eyes with identical troubled ones. "He raised me. He called me Moriko and he knew I was Kagato's grandchild. I have no memories of anyone else. He was my father. That's all I know. And if Tsunami hadn't told me that you were my mother, I would never have known that either. But I know you are, Ryoko-san. Even if you don't believe me. You can kill me if you want to, it won't make it any less true. My father used me to raise Kagato's spirit because I had the Prince's blood running through my veins. And so do you."

Ryoko faltered for a second, and Nozomi took her chance to escape, teleporting out of the pirate's grip and re-materialising on the other side of the room.

"Stop fighting me, when I came here to help you!" She exclaimed. "Tenchi-san is right! I'm not responsible for mistakes you do or don't make in your future life! I'm only here to try and save the past, not to create a war in this time instead!"

"I don't care what you came here to do." Ryoko was in high temper now, and as Tenchi tried to intervene once more, she pushed him aside, sending him a dark glare.

"No, Tenchi. I told you. This is between me...and her. If she's any bit my daughter, she must be able to put up at least some kind of a fight. Let's see it, shall we? Let's see what she's really made of."

Nozomi narrowed her eyes, eying the other woman carefully. Light glittered from Ryoko's fingers, and she knew that a swipe of the orange sword would be as lethal as a blade of silver. But then, she wasn't entirely helpless herself. She nodded her head.

"All right, if that's what you want." She said at length, bringing her hands together and sending up a shower of golden sparks. "If it will make you listen to me, I'm not a coward."

"Will you both stop it?" Tenchi begged. "This is my home, you know - I'd like to have some of it left standing before we leave for Jurai!"

"Then you'll have to hope her aim is as good as mine and that she's at least half as swift." Ryoko said simply. She launched herself into the air, sending a barrage of energy bolts in Nozomi's direction, which the young girl parried with her own blasts, flickering out of view and then reappearing on the other side of the coffee table. With a cry of rage, Ryoko launched herself at her adversary, sabre drawn, but Nozomi was fast, and she hovered upwards, avoiding Ryoko's charge by mere milimetres. Ryoko wheeled around, sending another round of flares at the other girl, who parried them just as quickly. She drew on her own magic, sending out a barrage of her own, but Ryoko threw up a forcefield around herself and they glanced harmlessly off her, one singing the edge of the rug on the floor.

"You see, I'm not so easy to beat as all of that." Nozomi touched down gently onto the wooden slats of the floor. "Are you finished with your show of temper, Ryoko-san? I was tired the other night, but you shouldn't assume so quickly that you have me beaten. Just because I'm younger than you doesn't mean I'm not strong."

"You're okay. Nothing special." Ryoko descended to the ground opposite her, rubbing her hands together absently. "But I'm only warming up, yet. Don't relax too soon. I'm not done with you yet."

With that the pirate dropped through the floorboards, and Nozomi glanced around her in alarm, unable to find any trace of the other woman.

"Where did she go?" She exclaimed. "How did she...where is she?"

"Boo."

The voice echoed in her ear and she started, swinging around as she felt strong hands grip her around the ankles, pulling her downwards. She struggled, but it was to no avail and she stared down in horror, watching as her feet disappeared beneath the floor.

"What are you doing!" She exclaimed. "Stop it! Stop it!"

"I told you not to rest easy too soon, Nozomi." Ryoko flickered and appeared at her side, her face lit up in a triumphant smile. "Did I find a magic trick you _didn't_ inherit from me? Well. I guess you're not so perfect as Tsunami thinks you are, are you!"

Nozomi glanced down at her legs once more, finding them submerged to the knee and she took a deep breath, gathering all her reserves of strength as she brought her hands together for a final burst of energy.

"You can blast yourself free, but your legs don't know they're not part of the wood right now." Ryoko said with a shrug. "So unless you like the wooden veneer look, I'd be very careful what you're doing with that energy."

"I thought my mother was brave and selfless and someone who sacrificed herself to protect me!" Nozomi exclaimed, aiming the bolt at Ryoko's head but it missed, careening out of the hole left by the previous night's disturbances and blowing a branch off a nearby cherry tree instead. "And now I'm here, I find you're nothing but a monster with anger management issues! I can't see why Tsunami wanted me to come to you. I don't see how you could possibly be of use to Jurai!"

"You and most of your Tsunami's stuck up family, little girl." With a tug, Ryoko pulled her up from the floor, tossing her down hard onto the wooden panels below. "Do you concede?"

"No way!"

Nozomi struggled to get up, her hand brushing against Tenchi's Juraian sword hilt as she did so. For a moment she hesitated, then she grabbed it up, swinging around to face the pirate with determination in her eyes. Ryoko stared at her for a moment. Then she laughed.

"What are you going to do with that?" She asked incredulously. "Hit me over the head with it? I've news for you, Nozomi. I can't bring a blade to that thing, so you've some hope of doing it. It's Tenchi's sword. It only responds to Tenchi. In your hands it's useless. You might as well give up, if you've burnt out all of your own magic. You can't beat me this way, you know."

Nozomi stared at her for a moment. Then her eyes narrowed.

"Stop talking to me like I'm a little kid!" she exclaimed. "I'm not a child, so don't treat me as if I was one! I'm fed up with it!"

Ryoko pursed her lips, her sabre flickering and glowing once more in her grip.

"Don't fight like one, then." She said softly. 

An obstinate expression crossed Nozomi's face and from somewhere deep inside her she felt something flare up, racing through her senses and overriding all of her usual instincts as it took gentle control of her body. She let out a gasp as the energy surged through her fingers, connecting with the sword in her hand. With a flicker, a thin, translucent beam of blue light began to swell out from the hilt's tip, glowing and solidifying as she held it aloft. Despite herself, Ryoko stopped dead in her tracks, the sabre dying in her hand as she stared at her foe in utter disbelief. Nozomi gazed at the sword, unable to comprehend what was happening. For a moment, her whole body was lit up with electricity. And then, as soon as it had come, the blade faltered and died. She loosed her grip, and the hilt fell to the floor with a clatter as she sank back against the wall of the house.

"Sword Tenchi." Ryoko's words were barely more than a murmur as the pirate touched down on the ground, moving over to glance at the fallen sword. "I don't believe it."

"Will you stop this stupid fight now, both of you?" Tenchi retrieved his sword, setting it down on the table. "Nozomi, that's not something you play with. I mean it. It's powerful magic and you shouldn't be dabbling with something you don't understand."

"I feel like all the energy has been sucked out of me." Nozomi admitted weakly, dropping down onto the floor and holding her head in her hands. "What was that? What happened to me?"

"How did you do that?" Ryoko stood over her, her earlier anger quashed by bewilderment as she tried to work out what was going on. "That sword is tuned to Tenchi. You shouldn't have been able to..."

"But she did and we both saw it." Tenchi said quietly. "Ryoko, you have to control your temper and stop jumping to conclusions. I mean it. You haven't reacted this way for a long time - not since you and Ayeka first began to spat when you arrived on the Earth. I'm not going to live around that all the time, so cut it out, will you?"

Ryoko bit her lip, dropping her hands to her sides.

"But..." She faltered, falling silent. She shook her head.

"I don't understand." She admitted.

"Nozomi, are you all right?" Nozomi raised her gaze, meeting Tenchi's concerned face as he crouched at her side, and she nodded, offering him a faint smile.

"Yes. Just exhausted. Like Ryoko-san said, I burned out my energy. She threw me, when she pulled me through the floor. I've never felt anything like that before - or known anyone who could do it. It startled me. I thought...I thought our magic was pretty much the same."

"It seemed that way." Tenchi nodded. "But I guess even mothers and daughters have some differences. Can you stand up? There'll be no more fighting, I promise."

"I think so." Nozomi agreed, allowing him to assist her to her feet. "Thank you, Tenchi-san. But I'm sorry...about your sword. I didn't know it was special. I mean...I didn't mean to touch it."

"Touch it?" Ryoko seemed to stir from her daze at this, fixing the girl with an incredulous stare. "You did more than touch it! You woke it up, Nozomi! How in hell did you do that? Tell me!"

"I have no idea." Nozomi admitted weakly. "It just happened. Like it flooded through me. That's all."

Ryoko closed her eyes, as if digesting this. Then she opened them again.

"Perhaps I'm wrong, then." She said unwillingly, holding up her hands in an uncharacteristic show of submission. "And perhaps you were too, Nozomi. Only Tenchi's daughter could wield Sword Tenchi, even if just for a few seconds. I can't do it. I told you. You didn't inherit that magic from me. So you must have inherited it from your father. And that must mean you're Tenchi's daughter. Mustn't it?"

"Sure looks that way." Tenchi admitted, as Nozomi settled herself back on the couch, relaxing against the cushions. "Grandfather has always said that it's tuned to his line. Him. My mother...me. And you too, I suppose. Even if it's just a trace, it's there inside of you."

"I'm confused." Nozomi admitted. "I never even heard your name before I came here, Tenchi-san. How can I be your daughter, when I grew up calling another man father?"

"I don't know." Tenchi shrugged his shoulders. "But Ryoko is right, Nozomi. You wouldn't have been able to do that if you weren't somehow connected to me."

Ryoko chewed down on her lip, and, glancing at her, Nozomi could see the woman was battling with her pride. At length she sighed, shaking her head.

"I won't fight you again." She said softly. "And...I'm sorry I called you...what I did."

A flicker of hope flared in Nozomi's heart, and she offered a faint smile.

"I'm sorry I made you think that you'd done something to betray someone you care about." She said softly. "I didn't know...I mean, if you say it's that way, then it must be true. But I didn't grow up that way. Tsunami said I had a connection to the Jurai trees - that's how she could send me back so easily. But when she told me who you were, I assumed my connection was you, Okaa-san. Not with my father."

She flushed, putting a hand to her mouth as she realised what she'd said.

"I'm sorry. I meant...I meant Ryoko-san." She said hurriedly. "It slipped out...I forgot."

"No." Ryoko dropped down on the couch with a heavy sigh. "It's all right. I mean, I guess it is. It still sounds weird, though. I'm not sure I'm ready to hear it all that much."

"I'll try and remember." Nozomi promised. She glanced across at Tenchi. "And you? Will you let me call you Father?"

"Gee, I don't know." Tenchi looked taken aback. "I hadn't really thought about it from that perspective, I mean..."

He faltered, exchanging glances with Ryoko across the table, and Nozomi smiled.

"Neither of you quite expected to be so deeply intertwined, did you?" She asked softly. "Tsunami's sent me back to a time when all this is new for you, so neither one of you know where it's going or if it will work out. Am I right?"

"Not far wrong." Tenchi agreed sheepishly. "But the truth is, Nozomi, if we do manage to do as you want us to and somehow change the future so that your world doesn't turn out the way it did - well, it might change everything else. Including you...there's no guarantee that you'll exist in that world. You do know that, right? Even if Ryoko and I are...well...your parents."

"Yes, I know." Nozomi nodded her head. "But at the end of the day, there's nothing left for me in my world. If this means I don't exist any more, well, it won't matter so much in the end. I was prepared for that when Tsunami sent me. In fact, I thought it was pretty much a certainty. You see, I understood my father to be one of Kagato's followers, and that being the case, in a world without Kagato's followers...I might not have happened at all."

"And you're all right with that?" Ryoko cast her a surprised look, and Nozomi was aware of new respect burning in the pirate's eyes. Despite herself, and despite the harsh battle she had just fought, she felt a glow of pride, and she nodded her head.

"More people's lives are at stake than just mine." She said simply. "It was my blood that woke Kagato. I have to do something to redress the balance."

"Well said, kid." There was grudging approval in Ryoko's tone. "Hey...maybe you are my daughter, after all."

"Maybe I just am." Nozomi dimpled. "Guess we'll see, won't we?"

"Meantime, we should think about making tracks to Jurai." Tenchi put in. "Ryoko, where's Ryo Ohki? Have you told her what's going on?"

"Yes." Ryoko nodded her head. "She's not happy about flying again so soon, but she'll do it. She's waiting out front...if we're going, we might as well go now."

--------------------------

So, at last she was alone.

Washu stared up at the ceiling, watching half-dazed as it span and bent before her line of vision. She groaned, shutting her eyes as she struggled to bring the bedroom back under her control. The truth serum still buzzed through her veins, making her both dizzy and claustrophobic, and she struggled into a sitting position, pulling herself to her feet and stumbling awkwardly to the balcony in search of some fresh air.

Clinging tightly to the rail, she gazed out across Jurai. The landscape seemed peaceful now, shrouded in the usual calm of a sunshiny day. But she knew that it was only a facade - that beneath the surface lurked something dark and dangerous. She put a hand to her head as the world swam again, cursing Prince Haru in the most colourful language her native tongue could supply. Though she did not know the exact chemical compound of the truth formula, she knew that it was potentially a hallucinogen, driving her brain to the edges of sanity in it's attempts to break down her defences and elicit honest answers. One dose would have been bad enough, but with three times the normal amount still flooding her system, she did not trust herself to leave her room even if there hadn't been a sentry on duty outside her door.

She glanced back across the room, trying to piece together the interrogation in her head. It was bitty, she realised, and blurred by the potent effect of the drug on her recall. She muttered more expletives, turning back towards her bed in the hope that if she lay still, perhaps eventually the room around her would consent to remain still also.

"Washu-chan?"

A voice startled her and she almost lost her balance, reaching out a hand for the wall to steady herself as she brought the younger Princess of Jurai into focus. Despite herself, a faint smile came to her lips as she met the mixture of horror and concern in Sasami's pretty eyes.

"Washu! Oh, are you all right?"

"I've been spending some quality time with your father and your honoured uncle." Washu said frankly, finally managing to reach her bed and sinking down onto the covers with a sigh of relief. "They can be very persuasive when they want to know something. Persistant, too."

Guilt flooded Sasami's expression, and she hurried to join her friend, sitting down on the end of the bed. She reached out a delicate hand to take Washu's, apprehension on her face.

"They interrogated you?" She asked softly. "Oh, Washu, I'm sorry! It's my fault...I said things to Mother, and then I spoke to Uncle Azusa and the next thing I knew..."

She faltered, dropping her gaze, and Washu shook her head gingerly, gripping the girl's hand tightly.

"No, Sasami. It's all right. This isn't your fault." She assured her. "Your father and your uncle have ways and means beneath any other decent human being to extract information that is really none of their business. I don't blame you for this. You don't need to worry about that."

"Are you sure?" Sasami looked doubtful. Washu nodded.

"Right now I couldn't lie to you even if I wanted to." She said grimly. "So you can trust what I say is the truth. Just forgive me if I'm unguarded in my opinion of your family. At the moment, I'm very angry. Angry and extremely unsteady on my feet."

Sasami's eyes became wide with horror as she put Washu's words together, reading between the lines.

"They used truth serum, didn't they?" She whispered. "Oh Washu!" As the scientist nodded her head. "Are you sure that you're okay? That stuff is strong - Mother has never liked how much Father uses it when he interrogates suspects and I don't like it either! You're my friend and Ayeka's friend and you've done nothing wrong! He had no right to do that to you and I'm going to tell him so!"

She got up to leave, but Washu pulled her back down.

"No, Sasami-chan. Leave it be." She said softly. "Your father and the Emperor have discovered many things this afternoon that will keep their brains more than busy for a while. They know everything, and I've yet to discover whether or not that's a good thing. But one thing I did convince them of is that they should take notice of your dreams and your links to Tsunami. I think, at last, they believe that it's not a game you are playing."

She paused, then pulled the gem capsule from her clothing, setting it down on the covers.

"They know I have these," She added. "And your uncle decided to let me keep hold of them, because you'd decided that was where they should be. Maybe if they are beginning to listen to Tsunami, there might yet be a way to stop Kagato and whatever it is he's going to do to Jurai."

"He's going to destroy it completely." Sasami's face was very white as she remembered her dream. "Washu, I've had such horrible pictures in my head these last few nights. One...one in particular. I was me, only I wasn't me. I was two people - Tsunami and Sasami, at crossed purposes, struggling to hold things together in a crumbling world. The planet exploded into nothing but rock - and there was a girl, a girl I don't know."

She bit her lip, tears glinting in her eyes.

"And Ryoko." She whispered. "Only she was dead, Washu. Ryoko was dead...and so was Jurai. And somehow, when I was in the dream, I knew that everyone else I loved was dead too. That there was just me left...Empress of Jurai only without a Jurai to call home."

She buried her head in her hands.

"I didn't like it."

Washu looked grave.

"And you're sure this was a message from Tsunami?" She asked softly. "A picture from the future and not just a nightmare brought on by all the stress you've been under?"

"I'm sure, Washu-chan." Sasami raised her head, nodding. "It was like I was looking through Tsunami's eyes. I was still Sasami, but somehow I wasn't...like I was trapped inside Tsunami and I couldn't get out."

Washu rubbed her temples.

"I wish my head was clearer." She admitted at length. "Right now I feel how Ryoko must when she's drunk too much sake and passed out on the floor again. My brain is fogged and confused and I'm not much help to you right now. All I can tell you is that I definitively matched Kagato's life energy to Souja's tree and I know that he is the enemy we're dealing with, just like we suspected. But more than that..."

She sighed, dropping back on her pillows.

"I need to sleep off the effects of this serum." She admitted. "They gave me way more than they needed to and it's taking a while to work it's way through. But I'm not likely to be leaving Jurai for the time being, Sasami. They brought me here and even though I'm not locked up, I'm still a prisoner of sorts. You probably saw the guard outside my door."

"Yes, I did." Sasami nodded soberly. "I'm sorry I brought you into this, Washu-chan. I feel bad."

"Believe me, I was already in it - from the moment I took the gems from Kagato and created Ryoko." Washu assured her. "Like I said before, you have nothing to feel bad about. It's not your fault."

She bit her lip.

"I just hope there's something we can find in all of this to stop things." She said grimly. "Because if you're right and that's the future mapped out for this world - what hope have any of us of surviving Kagato's return?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"I've never been aboard a spaceship like this before."

Nozomi stood in the centre of Ryo Ohki's drive room, glancing around her at the hovering crystals that danced and flickered with energy as the small craft manoeuvred her way through the Earth's atmosphere, drawing deeper and deeper into the space beyond. "I thought that only trees could become ships. I mean...all the spaceships I ever saw were Jurai trees."

"Sasami didn't tell you about Ryo Ohki?" Ryoko looked surprised. Nozomi shook her head.

"No." She admitted. "I didn't know how you got to Jurai to see her, but I assumed you must have a tree also, like Tsunami-sama's tree ship. After all, you are Juraian. Sort of. Right? And if you were born on Jurai..."

"I have no idea where I was born, and that's the honest truth." Ryoko owned, steering the craft carefully around a cluster of space rocks. "In that way we have something in common, Nozomi. You didn't know your true mother or father. I didn't know mine either, not really. There are still more questions than answers for me about my past...I just chose to let them lie. That's all."

"I see." Nozomi fell silent for a moment, and Ryoko shot her a sidelong glance, taking in the look of gravity on the young face. Grudgingly she admitted to herself that Tenchi had had a point. Nozomi's eyes did reflect the same colours as her own, bright and full of life as they stared out across the stars. She bit her lip.

"You know, it doesn't seem real to me that I'd have a daughter." She said at length. "It doesn't seem like me at all, if you want the truth. That's probably why I'm having such a hard time dealing with it. I can't imagine how it came about."

"I wish I could tell you more." Nozomi spread her hands helplessly. "But a lot of things I'm learning for the first time, too."

She turned, and Ryoko followed her gaze to where Tenchi was sprawled out on a makeshift pallet, fast asleep, his sword clutched loosely in his fingers. A tender smile touched her lips, and slowly she shook her head.

"He's still so untrained when it comes to long distance space travel, bless him." She observed absently. "Though I guess we kept him up the other night with our fighting - he probably needs the rest."

"Probably." Nozomi agreed. She flexed her fingers, turning back to the starscape before them. "He's so kind, though. Even though he doesn't know me...he's been kind to me from the moment we met. Was he like that to you, too?"

"Always." Ryoko nodded her head in confirmation. "He's not like anyone else I know in that respect, Nozomi. It's hard to pin a finger on what it is about Tenchi. There's just something. Something greater and more powerful than I can put into words. He comes over gentle and kind and all the things you'd hope to meet in a stranger when you fall on hard times. But with Tenchi, it's something else." She shrugged. "Maybe it's his Jurai power. I don't know. But I've never seen the same thing in other Juraian nobility...except perhaps your Lady Sasami."

"You really love him, don't you?" There was a strange, wistful note in Nozomi's eyes and Ryoko paused, eying her in surprise. She nodded.

"That should be obvious enough." She said frankly.

"You're lucky." Nozomi sighed, resting her hands on the edge of the control panel as she gazed dreamily out at the stars. "I'm almost sorry I came here, and interrupted your life together. But I had to do something, and so did Tsunami. I just...I feel a little guilty. Like I'm trespassing somehow, in a world that doesn't include me."

"How can it include you when you're not even born yet?" Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "Besides, we're used to things blowing up in our faces. We've fought enough battles on Jurai's behalf. I just wish I knew what exactly was at stake with this one, that's all. It's a pain not knowing what we're going into. I don't like to be unprepared."

"Me either." Nozomi admitted. "But I'm getting used to it."

"Tell me again how you woke Kagato's spirit from that tree?"

"My father...or at least, the man I called father...he was always taking me to the rituals." Nozomi glanced at her hands. "One day was different from the others. He brought me before the tree and they held me down while they took blood from me. When they combined my blood with the tree, Kagato awoke. At least, that's how I think it happened. I was a lot more naive then. A lot younger."

Ryoko pursed her lips.

"Perhaps that was that man's interest in you all along." She said at length. "It's not playing the game when someone else uses you as a tool, Nozomi. Believe me, I've been there enough times myself."

"Well, in this case, he brought about the destruction of our world by doing it." Nozomi shrugged helplessly. "And because it was my blood, so did I."

Ryoko ran her fingers over the control spheres of the spacecraft, a thoughtful look flickering in her eyes at this.

"Maybe when we get to Jurai, Sasami will be able to tell us more than we already know." She said eventually. "Right now we're doing a lot of guessing, and I'm sure that we shouldn't start jumping to conclusions before we know what's what."

"Maybe you're right." Nozomi sighed. "Ryoko-san, can you tell me something?"

"I can try. What's up?"

"What kind of man was Kagato in your world? Was he a man? It seems so hard to believe, considering what he became."

"He was a Prince of your planet. Jurai." Ryoko agreed. "The only son of the Emperor's younger sister...the Emperor in this time, I mean. Azusa-heika. But his magic drove him crazy, and his desire for power overwhelmed everything. He took hold of Jurai, held all the true claimants to the throne prisoner and tried to declare Ayeka and Sasami outlaws, hunted down by the Galaxy Police."

She sighed, casting their sleeping companion a fleeting glance, then,

"Tenchi faced him once in battle, and defeated him." She added. "We thought he'd killed him, but I guess that just goes to show how little we really know about Jurai magic."

"And this Washu you keep mentioning? Who is she?"

"Sasami never mentioned her to you, either?" Ryoko asked. Nozomi shook her head.

"No." She agreed. "I suppose with everything happening, she had more on her mind than remeniscing about the past with me. She did tell me that she'd once been very happy on Earth, when she was a little girl. But most of these names I'm hearing for the first time. Who is Washu-san? Why did you think that she'd sent me?"

"Because she's more than half crazy herself, and she's had a bee in her bonnet lately about Kagato and these three gemstones he altered somehow." Ryoko's expression darkened. "She's a scientist, Nozomi, and she's always been a bit off her rocker. Destructive, potentially. She's a genius, true enough, but there's a fine line between genius and madness. She's the fine line."

"And these gemstones?"

"Jewels thrown up in a volcanic eruption, I think. I don't know much more about them." Ryoko shivered, absently rubbing at her wrist as she remembered the conflict with Haki. "To cut a long story short, I used them once in battle and they pretty much killed me. If it hadn't been for Sasami...or maybe it was Tsunami. I don't know. I don't understand all this Goddess stuff. It's a bit beyond me. But one of them pulled me back from the edge. And so here I am."

"She did the same thing for me in my world." Nozomi reflected. She paused, and Ryoko noticed the flicker of sadness in her companion's amber eyes. "At your expense."

Ryoko's expression softened.

"You're really serious about that, aren't you?" She asked quietly. Nozomi nodded.

"Completely." She agreed. "Honestly, it's one of the reasons I most want to change this world. You were never part of my life in that one, Ryoko-san, but I always wondered about you. Who you were. Where my magic came from - my father called it demon magic, said I wasn't worthy to wield it and forebade me from using it, but I used it all the same, trying to discover who I was and why I was different from the other people around me. And then you came suddenly to Tsunami-sama and my question was answered - for the first time, I knew I had a mother and that she was still alive. I hoped...I hoped that maybe I'd even come to know you. But..."

She faltered, tears glittering on her lashes, and she shook her head.

"Kagato attacked the Imperial Palace." She whispered. "It was all Tsunami could do to hold off his attack and force him back while she gathered her strength, calling on her ship and taking us from that place. I don't remember much of what came next. I know I was hurt. But I awoke aboard Tsunami's ship, and you..."

She trailed off once more, and Ryoko's expression became grave.

"Well, maybe you wouldn't have liked me, if you'd known me." She said, her matter-of-fact tone covering her discomfort at the sight of the young girl's tears. "After all, you've already called me a monster, since you've been on the Earth. So pull yourself together, all right? That's the future you're so dead set on changing, so it might not happen that way, anyway. No point in crying over it...it's either done or it isn't and that's the end of it."

"I know." Nozomi closed her eyes for a moment, regaining her composure. "Ryoko-san, I'm sorry I called you a monster."

"It's not the first time. I'll live." Ryoko dismissed it with a flick of her fingers. "Besides, you don't fight badly, for a kid."

"I'm not a kid."

"No, perhaps you're not." Ryoko acknowledged. "But you still have a lot to learn about using your magic."

"Are you going to teach me?" Nozomi asked. Ryoko stared, then she shrugged.

"I doubt we'll have the time. Not in this life, anyway." She said frankly. "But who knows? In another time and space, maybe. I guess we'll see what happens, if we manage to find our way through this conundrum and out the other side, won't we?"

"I guess we will." Nozomi agreed softly. "Don't you think it's strange, though, that you're my mother but I don't have all of the same magic as you do?"

"Not really." Ryoko shrugged her shoulders. "You inherited half from me and half from Tenchi. Obviously, since you brought life to his sword."

"I can't control that, though." Nozomi shook her head. "It's what he said. A trace inside of me. A sudden burst of energy, but not something I could wield in a fight. He must be tremendously strong, Ryoko-san. I couldn't imagine using that thing in a proper fight. It's far too potent a force to manage."

"Well, not everyone is quite like Tenchi." Ryoko admitted. "If they were, he wouldn't be quite so special, now would he?"

"Can you tell me something, Okaa-san?" Nozomi raised her gaze to her companion's, and something in her expression made Ryoko forgive the innocent use of the word Mother. Biting back her retort, she nodded her head slowly.

"If I can." She agreed cautiously. "What is it?"

"How did you meet him?"

"Oh. I see." Ryoko's cheeks tinged pink as she remembered their first encounter, and a slight smile played around the corners of her mouth. "That kind of question, huh?"

"Yes. I mean, it's a long flight, and well...I'd like to know what I can about you, because it might be the only chance I get to find things out."

"Well, there's not a whole lot to tell you, really." Ryoko reflected. "I crashed Ryo Ohki onto the Earth and he helped me. I was being chased by the Galaxy Police and I lost my bearings."

She looked rueful.

"I'd had a wild night and was paying for it." She added. "I'm not really a bad pilot, you know. Am I, Ryo Ohki?"

The ship sent up a yowl, and Ryoko grimaced up at the crystals that hovered not far above her body.

"You're a great help." She muttered. "Thanks a bunch!"

"You can understand what she's saying?" Nozomi opened her eyes wide. Ryoko nodded.

"Ryo Ohki and I are telepathically linked, like Sasami is to her tree." She agreed. "I don't know how it works, or if it's me or Ryo Ohki that makes it possible. The only other cabbit ship I know of has a similar bond with his pilot, so I guess it could be all on her side of the equation. But either way, we've been partners in crime a long time, Nozomi. Sasami can speak to her tree, and me, I can speak to Ryo Ohki."

She sent another glare upwards.

"And unfortunately, she can answer me back." She added.

"You said you were being chased by the Police. Why? What did you do?"

"Sasami really didn't tell you a whole lot about me, did she?" Ryoko looked rueful. Nozomi shook her head.

"No. She didn't have time...it was all so sudden." She replied. "I don't think she knew you were my mother either, until you descended upon her in the way that you did. She never had a chance to give me your life history. Not given the circumstances we were in at the time."

"Yeah, I guess that follows." Ryoko acknowledged. "Well, it's simple, really. I'm a space pirate, Nozomi. At least, I was one. I don't really know if I still am...I haven't lived that lifestyle for a while now, anyway."

"A space pirate?" Nozomi's eyes became big. Ryoko nodded.

"Yep. Blasting, destroying, raiding, looting, pillaging. Emphasis on the looting." She agreed, a nostalgic look crossing her face as she remembered her past exploits. "It was a lot of fun, to tell you the truth. And...then I got cornered into giving myself up, and wound up in jail. That was...well, shall we say, less fun? You have to realise that for a long while, I was a pretty high profile wanted criminal. Everyone wanted a piece of me - Police, bounty hunters...you name it. That's not a lie. But in my last visit to this wretched planet of yours, well, I managed to squeeze an official pardon out of the Emperor. So I'm a free woman, now. Whether I'll stay that way...well. Time will tell. I like my freedom a fair bit, but there was a buzz involved in living against the law."

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"I guess I've shocked you now, huh?" She asked wryly. "Maybe monster wasn't so far off the mark after all."

"No...not shocked me. And somehow I believe you." Nozomi owned. "You fight like you're used to fighting. Like it's something you do a lot of."

"Yeah. I guess it is." Ryoko shrugged. "But you see, Nozomi, it's something I'm good at. Being a pirate, fighting my corner...all those things. I know that world and I fit into it. I'm not so sure how I slot into any other world. So I kept at it. Till I met Tenchi." She frowned, pursing her lips. "He made me different. I can't explain how. I just know that...well...it was him."

"It must be nice to be in love like that." Nozomi sounded wistful. "I've never really had that chance."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time if we put this world in it's right place." Ryoko told her simply. "No need to worry about that right now."

"If I still exist when we've done whatever it is Tsunami wants us to do, of course."

"Oh. Yes." Ryoko sent her companion a stricken look, then, "I forgot about that."

"I wish I could." Nozomi pulled a face. "But never mind. There's no point in dwelling on things, anyway. Especially since we don't know exactly what we're going into yet."

"No, we don't." Ryoko agreed. "But somehow I have this feeling it's big. Bigger than anything else Tenchi and I have ever been involved in. I'm not sure I like the odds, Nozomi. Seems to me that we might none of still be standing by the time the smoke clears over Jurai!"

-------------

"Washu-san."

Washu met the Emperor's gaze with a guarded one of her own, resentment stirring deep within her as she took in the solemn expression on his face. "Thank you for coming so quickly. I realise that such a summons so soon after our last encounter cannot have been wholly welcome."

"That, Azusa-heika, is an understatement." Washu said bluntly, folding her arms across her chest. "But there's also the little matter of my freedom of movement to take into account. As I understand it, I didn't have much choice but to come here this morning."

She cast a glare at the guard who had marshalled her from her chamber to the Throne Room, hate in her gaze. 

"Your friend here didn't give me a chance to argue."

Azusa bowed his head to the soldier, raising his hand.

"You may go now." He said softly. "Washu-san will have no further need of you today."

"Yes, Azusa-heika." The guard saluted sharply, then withdrew from the room, leaving the two, Emperor and scientist alone before the throne. For a moment there was silence, then Azusa beckoned for her to join him.

"You feel we have mistreated you sorely, don't you?" He said softly. Washu's eyes became cold.

"Another understatement." She said icily. "You have no idea how hard I worked to keep so many of those things a secret. I have a long past, Azusa-heika, and most of it is none of your business. For you to drag me here and force things out of me against my will - that isn't the behaviour of an honourable man, much less an Emperor."

"Yes, I'm afraid you are right." Azusa inclined his head apologetically. "And I can't excuse my behaviour, except to say that fear and desperation make one resort to extreme measures. And right now, I have great fear. Fear for Jurai - for all of us, Washu-san. I can't ignore Tsunami's warnings any longer. But I also must know all that I can know, if I'm to be able to prevent whatever is going to take place."

"And if you can't stop it? What then?" Washu stared up at him flintily. "You aren't all powerful, Azusa-heika, although you'd like the universe to believe that you are. You have great magic, yes - but are you really a match for Kagato-dono, in his current form?"

"We don't even really know what that form is." Azusa said blankly. "Which in short is why I brought you to me this morning. As you've probably realised, I don't want you to leave Jurai again, and have gone to measures to ensure you aren't able to do so of your own free will. I'm sorry that this has caused you so much distress, but Sasami believes you know more about those gems than anybody else. Our conversation the other day confirms it. You worked with them, and even intended to use them against Kagato yourself, through Ryoko. That means you must have some idea how we can defeat him. And therefore I have need of you."

"I'll lay the facts on the line, Azusa-heika." Washu pursed her lips, shaking her head. "Kagato-dono defeated and imprisoned you and your brother once already, when he still walked this planet in humanoid form. Now he's moved much beyond that. Even the legendary warrior Yosho was no match for him the last time they fought. This magic is beyond anything any of you can hope to control. The only power this planet possesses that may be strong enough to bring him down is Tsunami - but how to best utilise that strength is still beyond me. Sasami is a child. She's no way strong enough to wield Tsunami's full power against a demon such as this."

"I would not allow her to, even if she was." Azusa said firmly. "I won't sacrifice my niece in my place."

"But what you're not understanding is that your own Jurai power is never going to be enough." Washu snapped back at him. "You have it, yes, and in quantity enough to make you Emperor. But you knew that your son surpassed you in it, and your great grandson also. Kagato is not just another rebellious noble! He's about turned himself into a God, poisoning the planet itself through Souja's roots!"

"I see that you've decided to speak frankly with me now." Azusa rubbed his chin ruefully. "After the welcome I gave you, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Yes, you are right, of course. Kagato and Yosho's magic exceeds my own. So does Tenchi's. But neither Yosho nor Tenchi are here to call on. Earth has made my son an old man, Washu-san. And my grandson dislikes the pressures and commitments of this planet. Neither one of them are here to fight by my side...so the burden must fall on me."

Washu shook her head.

"He'll kill you and then begin on your family." She said bluntly. "You'd be like a mouse playing in front of a cat, Azusa-heika. The readings I've had from Souja's tree are off the chart."

There was a moment of silence, then,

"I have had my men working hard on preparing a chamber in the lower reaches of the Palace." The Emperor spoke softly. "It is quiet and there are few people who ever use it. I know you are gifted with technology, Washu-san. I thought perhaps you could continue your research into Kagato and those gems from there."

"What?" Shock flooded Washu's expression. "Transfer my lab to Jurai's jurisdiction? Azusa-heika, with all due respect, there's a reason why I work in sub-space!"

"Yes. It's much harder to marshall your activities there." Azusa inclined his head. "I know that. But I am giving you my word that noone will interfere in anything you do. I have need of your skills and your knowledge to find a solution to this, and I am willing to go to any lengths to make it possible for you to continue your work. I just want to make sure you are here, on Jurai, where I can easily find you if I need to consult with you."

"I'm not your servant, Azusa-heika. My science is not so easily bought."

"Not even for the life of this world?" Azusa asked. Washu sighed.

"I don't like it."

"No, I didn't think you would." Azusa admitted. "But let me take you there, anyway. You may change your mind - after all, it would permit you direct access to Souja's tree and that's something you don't have in sub-space."

"True enough." Washu acknowledged. "All right. I'll come. But I'm not making you any promises. I'm not sure I want to stay on a planet who resorts to such base tactics to rip open someone's life."

"Then follow me." 

Azusa led the way down the first flight of steps and out through a secondary door, leading her down the narrow corridors of his own private apartments, and then down a steep arc of stairs to another, more open walkway. Guards saluted them as they passed, but noone remarked on her presence, and Washu's eyes narrowed.

"Does everyone in the palace know of your plans, or do you bring women down this way often?" She asked archly, as they crossed another walkway, the Emperor saluting another set of guards. Azusa turned, offering her a smile.

"It is not their place to question their Emperor." He said softly. Washu snorted, rolling her eyes.

"More's the pity." She said decidedly. 

"Washu-san, there is one more thing I must speak to you about." As they reached the end of a winding hall, Azusa paused, putting his hand on the door before them and pushing down on it hard. There was a creak and a groan as the door swung back, revealing a large empty chamber, and Washu stepped inside, glancing up at the high-arched ceiling with a reluctant amount of awe. "If you don't mind, I need to know about Ryoko."

"Don't you already know enough about Ryoko?" The room forgotten, Washu wheeled on the Emperor as if stung. "Didn't you already force out of me more truth on that subject than I've ever even given the girl herself? What business is she of yours, Azusa-heika? She's already refused to help, and even if she hadn't, I doubt she would be strong enough to triumph over him anyway. She's not the weapon I intended her to be...and I won't have you sacrifice her against her will. Not even to save this world, Azusa-heika. I won't force her into a battle she doesn't want to undertake."

"Even though her very existance is tied up in Kagato and your desire to see him dead?"

"Even so." Washu nodded. "Angry as I am at her for ducking her responsibilities, she has evolved into an independant being with a mind and a soul of her own. And she is not a citizen of Jurai. If you are thinking of forcibly bringing her here to Jurai in the same manner you did me, you can forget any help I'll give you. I mean that. You can't just snap your fingers and expect everyone in the universe to bow to you, you know. Those are the qualities which created a foe such as Kagato - or did you forget that small fact?""

Azusa shook his head slowly.

"When Yosho left Jurai with Haruna, I was angry with him but I let him choose his own path." He said quietly. "If I had not done so, he would be here still. And his children and grandchildren would be my heirs - strong enough in their magic to manifest some kind of defence against Kagato. And where Ryoko is concerned, citizen of Jurai or not, you know as well as I do that if she has any chance to defeat Kagato, we have to consider her in the equation."

Washu's heart sank as she gazed up at her companion, and slowly she nodded her head.

"Yes, I know." She admitted. "But..."

She faltered, then sighed.

"You don't know Ryoko." She said at length. "She may fight a battle to the death if she chooses it, Azusa-heika. But to force her to fight - to send her into combat on someone else's say so - it just won't work. She's too stubborn."

She looked rueful.

"She gets that from me."

"If you brought your laboratory research here, could you begin work once more on Tsunami and the potential impact of her magic on Kagato?" Azusa asked. "Could you find another solution, somewhere in all of this?"

"Hard to say." Washu spread her hands. "Yes, I could try. Will try, if you really want me to. After all, it's not just your planet on the line. It's a lot bigger than that and we both know that's the truth. But Tsunami's magic has so far defied my attempts to quantify it. I'm not sure whether I could give you anything conclusive."

"And if we did bring Ryoko back to Jurai, and made her understand what's at stake? Would you back me then, in encouraging her into battle?"

"What else can I do?" Washu grimaced. "You know as well as I that that's the reason I brought her into this world in the first place. Whatever my personal misgivings, they take second place to science every time. But even so, I'm not sure it will be enough. I really don't know what the answer is, Azusa-heika. I don't even know when Kagato will rise or how he will be disturbed. I'm so clueless, really. It's driving me mad."

"Then I will make available to you all the information we have on Tsunami's magic and the legends associated with her return." Azusa promised. "It is said in ancient Jurai lore that the Darkness will rise through blood of his descendant...but I can find the exact manuscript, if you think it will be of help to you."

Washu blanched, as the true implication of his words sank in.

"Then Ryoko _will _be involved in this, whether she consents to it or not." She murmured. "She's his blood - Kagato's blood. Did I unconsciously create a tool to help him, by trying to develop the opposite?"

"That I can't tell you." Azusa spread his hands. "But right now, we have a stalemate. Jurai is safe while he sleeps, but one day he will wake and Jurai will be destroyed. It might be that to wake him sooner rather than later would be a benefit. And in which case..."

"In which case, I will do all I can to persuade Ryoko to follow her destiny." Washu sighed, dropping her gaze to the floor. "But I can't force her to fight against her will, Azusa. She must take the gems from me of her own accord, or she won't have any chance at all. To be honest, after the summary way your people have handled my rights to freedom of movement, I'm not sure I'd have it any other way. After all..."

She faltered, biting down hard on her lip as she fought to control her emotions.

"After all, she is my daughter." She murmured. "And even as a scientist, Azusa...I have my limits too."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Well, they were finally back on Jurai.

Ryoko leant against Ryo Ohki's controls as the spaceship hovered in an arc, preparing to make her usual kamikaze landing on the expansive shelf, halfway up the side of the Royal Tree. She cast a glance across at her companions, both of whom were lost to the world. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Just where I don't want to be, Ryo Ohki." She said softly. "Back on Jurai, chasing ghosts again. Sometimes I wonder why I put up with it all, don't you? It would be so much easier to just disappear back into space and forget all about Kagato and sentient trees and all of those things. Don't you think so?"

The ship let out a reproachful yowl, and Ryoko glanced at her wrists, taking in the fading scars that still adorned them. She frowned.

"I know. It would be the coward's way out and I'm not a coward." She acknowledged. "So I'm here and I'll see it through. Whatever 'it' turns out to be. But considering how much this planet hates me, they expect a lot of me, don't they? To interrupt my life like this to pull them out of another jam."

"Ryoko?" Tenchi's voice came from across the driveroom as he sat up on his pallet, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Wow, are we here? I just closed my eyes for one second..."

"And fell into a coma that even a meteor shower didn't seem to jolt you from." Ryoko said dryly, crossing the floor towards him and taking him by the hands, pulling him to his feet. "Well, we're back on Jurai again. Getting a feeling of deja-vu yet? I know I sure am. And I thought I'd be rid of this place for a while. Some hope, huh?"

Tenchi stifled a yawn, stretching.

"I'm stiff." He admitted. "Where's Nozomi? You didn't renege on your promise to be nice to her and toss her out into Deep Space while I was sleeping, did you?"

"No...she's curled up in the corner, over there." Ryoko indicated with a flick of her fingers. "Should we wake her? Or leave her here to sleep?"

"I guess she should come with us." Tenchi pursed his lips. He looked sheepish. "Gee, making all these parental type decisions is stressful, isn't it?"

"Stop messing around." Ryoko sent him a dark look. "We're not here to play Mums and Dads with the girl. Far as it stands, she might not even exist when all of this is over, and if she does, we're sending her back to her time as soon as we can work out how to do it. I'm not sacrificing our alone time again, Tenchi."

"You're so melodramatic sometimes." Tenchi said calmly, crossing the drive room and bending down to shake Nozomi awake. "Nozomi? We're here. Jurai."

"Jurai?" Nozomi sat up, scrambling to her feet as she gazed out across the landscape. "Oh! But it's...it's beautiful."

"Matter of opinion." Ryoko said with a shrug. "Beauty is only skin deep - at least, where this planet is concerned."

"All those trees." Nozomi's expression became dreamy. "All Royal Trees? Tsunami's children?"

"Guess so." Tenchi nodded. "All right. Are we going down there or what?"

"We're going." Ryoko nodded her head, grabbing both Tenchi and Nozomi by the arms and focusing her energy on teleporting them down to the ground below. "Ryo Ohki, stay here. And don't transform, all right? I don't know how long we're staying or what we're going to do - but I want to be ready to leave at a moment's notice. Okay?"

There was an answering mew, and Ryoko cast the crystals a fleeting smile, before flickering out of view and re-materialising on the wood-panelled landing bay below, Nozomi and Tenchi in tow. Nozomi shivered, glancing down at herself.

"I don't like it when someone else shifts my molecules about." She decided. "It's creepy."

"It's also the quickest way down, and if your teleport magic is anything like mine, you can only go where you've already been." Ryoko said briskly. "Don't complain. We're here, which is what you wanted, isn't it?"

"I'm not complaining." Nozomi objected. "And I could have brought myself out of there, you know. I have been here before. Just not in this time."

"Technicalities." Ryoko rolled her eyes.

"You two aren't still arguing, are you?" Tenchi raised an eyebrow. Ryoko sighed.

"No...guess not." She said reluctantly. "All right. So are we going to present ourselves to the Emperor, or are we just going to go looking for Sasami?"

"I think that decision might be made for us." Tenchi raised a hand, and Ryoko followed the line of his gaze, consternation touching her own brow as she recognised Azaka, two palace officials in tow. As the knight hurried up to them, he made a formal bow to Tenchi, holding out his hand.

"Tenchi-dono! This is a surprise! We had thought you'd left Jurai for good!"

"Some hope, with the relatives he has." Ryoko muttered. Azaka offered her a smile, repeating his bow.

"Ryoko-san also. Did the Emperor's envoys reach you so quickly, then?"

"Emperor's envoys?" Ryoko frowned, casting a suspicious glance in Nozomi's direction. "What envoys? Nozomi, do you know anything about this?"

"You know full well that I don't." Nozomi shook her head.

"Azaka, you're going to have to explain in a little more detail." Tenchi said ruefully. "We came here of our own accord. Nozomi here is...a friend of a friend. She came to us with news that Jurai is in serious trouble and that our help might be needed. Are you saying that Azusa-heika sent people to the Earth to find us for the same reason?"

"I believe so." Azaka agreed. "Perhaps it would be best if you came with me now, to see him. The Emperor is at his private quarters, but he has been very preoccupied of late. I know he would welcome your company."

"Then I guess we're going to hang out at the Emperor's private pad." Ryoko rolled her eyes skywards. "It just gets better and better."

"What about me?" Nozomi looked apprehensive. Tenchi frowned.

"For now, I guess you'd better wait here, with Ryo Ohki." he suggested. "Azusa won't be expecting you, and explaining who you are might take more time than we have."

"I suppose so." Nozomi frowned, glancing up at the big blackish grey spaceship. "All right. But don't be too long, okay? Someone might think I'm here to cause trouble and arrest me."

"If I have my way, we won't be at all long." Ryoko assured her. "Ryo Ohki, keep tabs on her, will you? Make sure she doesn't wander off and get herself lost. I want to get to the bottom of this envoy business, and I don't need to be worrying about our lost stray in the meantime."

"I already told you, I'm not a kid." Nozomi frowned. Ryoko shrugged.

"Depends whose perspective you're looking at it from." She said simply. "Just stay here, okay? We'll be back soon."

She turned back to Azaka, offering him a guarded smile.

"Guess we're going where you lead." She continued. "So lead on."

The Emperor was in his personal study as Azaka led the way through the corridors, pausing outside an oak-panelled door and knocking sharply on the wood three times. It opened to reveal another official, a young man who saluted Azaka sharply, taking in Tenchi and Ryoko with wide eyes.

"Hitaro-san, tell Azusa-heika that Tenchi-dono and Ryoko-san are here." Azaka instructed him. The young man nodded, saluting again and disappearing back behind the door. Ryoko raised an eyebrow.

"Chinese whispers?" She asked. Azaka nodded his head.

"Security is not always this tight." He said apologetically. "Normally, the Emperor's magic is enough to keep him safe. But...things have been rather unusual of late."

At that moment, Hitaro re-appeared, bowing almost reverently in Tenchi's direction, then saluting the knight once again.

"Azusa-heika would like to see Tenchi-dono and Ryoko-san as soon as possible." He gabbled, offering Tenchi another bow as he did so. "Please, if you would come this way, honoured Lord Tenchi. He is waiting you in his study."

"Yes, honoured Lord Tenchi, let's do as he says." Mischief sparkled in Ryoko's eyes and she nudged Tenchi, who looked discomfitted at the attention. "After you, my Prince."

"Put a lid on it, will you?" Tenchi flushed red at her teasing. "I told you, they all act weird around me when they know I'm Yosho's grandson. It freaks me out more than a little."

"It is amusing though." Ryoko reflected, as they stepped through the oaken door, following the young and zealous soldier through the passageway to the Emperor's private study. "How they treat you like a God among men, just because you're descended from Azusa's line."

She gestured around her.

"Just think, Tenchi. All of this could have been yours. Are you sure you have no regrets?"

"What do you think?" Tenchi raised an eyebrow. "It's a gilded cage, Ryoko. Knowing Ayeka and Sasami taught me that much at the very least. No, I don't regret turning down the chance to be next in line for the throne. All the pampering and bowing in the world couldn't replace freedom of choice."

"We agree." Ryoko acknowledged. "I'd have hated it too, Tenchi."

She sent him a teasing glance.

"Just imagine, though, if you had accepted, and had wanted me to be your consort." She said wickedly. "Can you imagine the faces of the court, if you were to wed the wicked space pirate and make a lady of her? Nobody bows to me in any way, except Azaka and Kamadake, because they are proper gentlemen, not just snivelling toadies. But seriously, Tenchi, just picture it. Me, Empress of Jurai. Can you, even? It would be a scream."

"It would certainly be something." Tenchi's lips twitched into a smile. "Though I thought you weren't exactly ready for marriage, Ryoko-chan. What's to say we wouldn't have ended up doing what Grandfather did with Lady Haruna and flee the planet completely in a wave of scandal and outrage?"

"That does seem a little more my style, I have to admit." Ryoko acknowledged. She sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Oh well. We'll never know, anyway. It's an academic question."

"It is." Tenchi nodded. "Hey, we've stopped!" As he glanced up ahead, noticing that Hitaro had disappeared through another door, this one more ornate than the one before. At length he re-emerged, offering Tenchi another of the over-zealous bows.

"Lord Tenchi, Azusa-heika will see you and Ryoko-san now." he said, his tone bordering on reverence. "If you'll just step through the door, he's awaiting you in his personal study."

"Yes, of course." Tenchi nodded his head, and Ryoko felt his hand slip into hers, leading her towards the ajar door before she could make any kind of comment to the guard. She cast him a wounded look, pouting.

"Hey!"

"We're not here to play games with the palace staff." Tenchi reminded her. "Come on."

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Ryoko sighed. "Though what kind of impression you're going to give your Great Grandpa if he sees you holding hands with a space pirate in his study I don't know."

"Right now, I don't really care about that." Tenchi responded, and Ryoko felt the grip on her hand tighten slightly. "But I do want to know why he was sending envoys to the Earth after us. Don't you?"

The levity faded from Ryoko's eyes and she nodded her head.

"Yes, I do." She agreed. "All right. I'm with you."

"Tenchi. Ryoko-san."

The Emperor was seated behind his desk as they entered, going through a pile of official looking documents, but at their approach he pushed them aside, getting to his feet. "I have to admit, I didn't expect you so soon. Nor did I anticipate you would come to me so willingly. I'm glad though that you did. It is a matter of great importance that I should speak to you - both of you, as it turns out."

"We came under our own speed. We didn't meet any of your envoys, so I guess we had already left by the time they would have reached the Earth." Tenchi bowed his head slightly, and the Emperor indicated for them both to take seats. "Why were you summoning us to Jurai, Azusa-heika? We've barely been away from it, all things considered."

"It was actually Ryoko-san who I wanted to bring here." Azusa admitted, and Ryoko frowned, meeting the Emperor's gaze with a confused one of her own.

"Me?" She asked softly. "Why me? What on earth would you want me on Jurai for? Your brother more than made it clear that he wanted rid of me as soon as possible. Don't tell me he had a change of heart?"

"Haru is not comfortable with this situation, I admit." Azusa pursed his lips. "But he realises, as I do, that we must employ every strategy that we can."

"This is to do with Kagato, isn't it?" Tenchi demanded. Azusa inclined his head slightly.

"As you say." He agreed. "Washu-san's scientific data and Sasami-chan's dreams cannot be ignored any longer. It seems that his spirit is living inside of Souja...precisely how, we don't know. Only that it is so. And Sasami-chan's dreams have taken a disturbing turn for the worse - so much so that we feel we must act now. Tsunami has spoken to her people and it's up to us to listen - in truth, we need all the help that we can get."

"And for this, you sent for me?" Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "_Me_, Azusa-heika? A space pirate? Okay, a damn strong space pirate, and I won't pretend I wasn't good at what I did. But are you completely crazy? You, with your all powerful Jurai magic going on, sent for me in order to destroy Kagato? What, exactly, is in the Jurai water supply these days? My magic isn't even half the strength yours is, you must know that!"

"Azusa-heika, what is it exactly you're asking Ryoko to do?" Tenchi put in quietly. "Because she is right. We've all seen how powerful Kagato was, before all of this began. Now, well, who knows how much stronger he's become whilst living off Souja's life force? Do you really expect Ryoko to just throw her life away in a futile attempt to beat him?"

"I'm hoping that no lives will be thrown away." Azusa looked haunted. "But no, Tenchi. You see, I have had Washu-san studying ancient Juraian documents and scrolls, hunting for any and all clues to this disaster that approaches us. One thing stands out very clearly. Kagato's spirit must be raised by someone of his blood. That being the case, we felt the need to send for you immediately."

"Washu's here?" Confusion flickered in Ryoko's eyes. "But we ditched her at her space station!"

"Yes, and I sent my men to go and retrieve her." Azusa's expression became one of guilt. "I admit, I didn't give her much choice in the matter. But she has worked hard since then, I will give her credit for that. And, risky and uncertain as it seems, she has devised a possible strategy - one that has only a slim chance of success, but better than anything else we have managed to discover."

"Let me get this straight." Ryoko said slowly. "You...want me...to go and wake up that demon Prince somehow? What are you saying? That you want him to come and wreak havoc and vengeance on all of Jurai? You have to be kidding me! It's suicide - for me and for you! I won't do it! You have to be joking!"

"Washu-san believes that if we were to wake Kagato before he was fully restored, then he might not be so strong as he is in Sasami's visions of the future." Azusa continued levelly. "Like I said, it's a slim hope. But at present, it's all that we have. That, Ryoko-san, and you. If you'll help us."

"You and your people have some nerve, calling on me to fix your problems when most of your court won't even look me in the eye." Ryoko bristled. "I'm just some common space pirate - a dirty, nasty criminal to most of them. And yet, when you're in trouble, who is it you come crying to? Me. Ryoko. I'm good enough to die for you, but not good enough to be treated like anyone else. You must think I'm really stupid, Azusa. That I'd throw my life away for a planet who hates my guts."

"It runs deeper within you than that." Azusa eyed her gravely. "Much deeper. It's the core of your very existance, in fact...your destiny, one might say."

"Her destiny?" Tenchi stared. "What is all this destiny talk, anyway?"

"It's Washu and her harebrained ideas again." Ryoko said bitterly. "It has to be. Another one of her games. Nozomi too, no doubt. I bet that it's all part of the same thing. Bring Ryoko to Jurai, convince her that she's got no choice and then throw her to the lions to be ripped apart like meat. Tenchi, we should leave. Right here, right now. This isn't our fight...we don't have to get any more involved than we are already."

She stood to leave, but Azusa raised his hand, and the door behind them shut fast, the lock clicking across into place. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Ryoko-chan." He said softly. "But it is not the done thing to walk out on an Emperor of Jurai. Especially when he is speaking to you. I told you once about your manners. You'd do well to take heed."

"And you'd do well to remember that doors don't usually keep me inside a room for long." Ryoko retorted. "Or do you want to make me your prisoner, too? You've got Washu penned up here doing your dirty work for you, and now me, too? Is that the idea?"

"Not at all." Azusa shook his head. "Ryoko, listen to me. You might not like to hear it, but it's the truth all the same. You were born to battle Kagato, and either emerge victorious or die in the attempt. That is your destiny - your entire reason for being. If you doubt me, speak to Washu-san. Ask her about Kichi-san and the manner of your birth. You'll find she has answers she's never bothered to tell you - answers she kept from everyone, till my brother plyed her with truth serum."

"I don't really care about Washu's answers." Ryoko said flatly. "She has a nasty habit of twisting things. Even if Haru-dono did dope her up with the serum, it would take more than that to make her tell the straight truth for a change."

"It took three heavy doses to break her down." Azusa admitted, regret flickering in the depths of his eyes.

"Three doses?" Tenchi stared. "What did you do to her? Is she all right?"

"Yes, she's recovered admirably." Azusa agreed. "Bad tempered about it, but that's only to be expected, considering the depths of Haru's interrogation."

"And what, exactly, did she tell you that makes you think I'm the key to Kagato's door?" Ryoko narrowed her gaze, putting her hands on her hips. "She must have said something, to suddenly make you interested in having me on this planet."

"A good many things." Azusa agreed sadly. "But most of all, Ryoko, how you came to be born. You see, Washu-san is the one who gave you life. If anyone knows your true destiny, well, it would be her."

"Wait a minute." Ryoko held up her hands. "Are you trying to say that Washu is...?"

"Yes, Ryoko-chan." Azusa nodded his head slowly. "Washu-san is your mother."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"I'm getting fed up with waiting."

Back out at the landing bay, Nozomi had curled up against Ryo Ohki's sharp frame, glancing up at the ship with a sigh as she did so. "Why couldn't I go with them to see the Emperor, anyway? Without me, they wouldn't have even been here in the first place. I don't like being left out of the loop, Ryo Ohki. It's not fair...it's not what Tsunami meant when she sent me back here."

Ryo Ohki let up a sympathetic miaow, and Nozomi's brows creased into a frown, shaking her head.

"I can't understand you, so you might as well not try." She said sadly. "I'm not Mother, you know. I can't read your thoughts like she can."

Ryo Ohki yowled again, and Nozomi rested a gentle hand on the spaceship's frame.

"I know you're trying to help." She added. "Thank you, at least. I just feel so useless, sitting here like some reject. I want to do something to help!"

Ryo Ohki mewed back at her, and Nozomi shook her head in frustration.

"I don't know what you're saying!" She exclaimed, then she bit her lip. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's not your fault. I just feel like I'm sitting around here like a spare part. Ryo Ohki, I've had enough."

She got to her feet, hesitating for a moment. Then a look of resolve crossed her features.

"If Mother comes back, tell her that I got fed up of waiting and that I'm in the palace grounds." She said at length. "Or wait...no. Tell her...tell her I went to see Tsunami's tree. All right? It's not so far from here, and I'd like to see how it used to look, before Kagato wreaked hell on this planet."

Ryo Ohki yowled a protest, but Nozomi paid her no heed. Instead she clenched her fists, closing her eyes and focusing her mind's eye on the Tree of Life, flickering out of the landing bay and re-materialising in the middle of a grassy plain. For a moment she felt disorientated, and she faltered, glancing around her at the unfamiliar lush terrain. Then, in the distance, she caught sight of the great tree itself, looming high over its fellows as its branches greeted the midday sun. A smile touched her lips and she ran towards it, pausing a few feet from it's massive trunk and gazing up into the rich green foliage. As she came closer, beams of light danced and radiated from the leaves, as if to welcome her presence there, and her smile widened.

"Tsunami." She murmured. "Oh, you're so beautiful."

As she watched the rays of light flicker and dot their way across the ground, she settled herself beneath the tree's shade, comforted by the presence of the Goddess she had come so far to serve.

"You probably don't know it yet, but one day we're going to meet face to face." She told the tree softly. "You won't be just a Tree of Jurai then, Tsunami-sama. You'll be Empress of all Jurai. Oh, but if we change things...I don't know what will happen. It's hard to know anything at the moment."

"If the past changes, so must the future."

A voice echoed on the wind, distant and confusing to Nozomi's young ears. She glanced up, surprise filling her gaze as she registered that the tree was changing, the grooves of the trunk twisting and forming into the faint outline of a woman. As she watched, the woman's features became stronger, forming into a face she both knew and loved, deep within the grain of the wood.

"Tsunami-sama?" She whispered. The woman nodded her head.

"Nozomi-chan." The word was barely more than a flicker of sound, but Nozomi heard it. She smiled.

"So you do know who I am. You really are the Goddess - you do know everything."

"I know that this world is in great danger, and that is why you are here." Tsunami's branches sighed and groaned in the wind, as if adding feeling to her grave words. "In this time, fewer and fewer Juraians have come to me to share their lives and their hearts with the Tree of Life. The poison that spreads from Souja's roots is a deep rooted poison - but it awakens a hate and a disillusionment that has grown within Jurai for some time. That is why I sent you back here. Because you believe in me, where others do not."

"What is it you want me to do?" Nozomi asked softly. "How can I help you, Tsunami-sama? I don't know this time, and I'm not as strong as either Mother or Father. I don't know how to fight an enemy like Kagato, and I don't know what will happen if I try. I know I was your last resort, Tsunami-sama - but it would help if I understood a little more of what you wanted from me."

"You will understand that when the time comes." Tsunami said quietly, and the wind ruffled once more through her branches, sending cascades of light into the upper atmosphere. "I am the Tree of Life, but Kagato holds power over what has become the Tree of Death. And yet, he cannot awaken by himself. I think you understand my meaning."

"Yes." Nozomi dropped her gaze. "It was my blood that woke him in the future time. It's my fault that Jurai will be destroyed. I have to make sure that doesn't happen again. If he sleeps forever, how can he hurt Jurai?"

"Kagato's spirit is strong, and although he is trapped, his influence is slowly working a change on this world." Tsunami murmured softly. "Beneath the surface, there is a war being fought for control of Jurai's heart. This cannot be left alone any longer, Nozomi-chan. It must come to an end."

Nozomi stared up at the tree, a mixture of surprise and dismay on her face.

"You want me to wake him up!" She whispered. "That's it, isn't it? You want me to use my blood again to bring Kagato out of his sleep, so that...so that what? So that you can meet him, face to face? I thought Sasami-dono was a child in this time - are you really going to send a child into battle against a monster who will destroy worlds."

"You mustn't ask so many questions, Nozomi-chan." There was a note of affection in Tsunami's soft voice. "You must trust me and do simply as I've asked you to do. The rest - you must leave to me. Sasami is not the only soul implanted with magic from the Tree of Life."

"I see." Nozomi hesitated for a moment, then she bowed her head. "I'll do my best, Tsunami-sama. I don't understand why you want it done, but I will do as you ask. Somehow."

"Yes, I know you will." Tsunami agreed. "Be careful, Nozomi. Your blood was chosen to wake him because it mingles the Tree of Life and the Tree of Death, intertwined into one human form. Nobody else will be able to raise him - but you must be willing to give everything, if the time comes. Do you understand what I am asking of you?"

"I understand, Tsunami-sama." Nozomi nodded, then, "But...that means...Tenchi-san..._is_ my father?"

"One day you'll know all the answers to those questions." Tsunami said with a slight smile. "For now, just do as I ask you and help to save your planet from destruction."

"I'll try." Nozomi promised. "I don't know what will happen, but I will try."

Tsunami smiled again. Then, as Nozomi watched, her human form shifted into that of a young girl, a mixture of mischief and gravity in her pinkish red eyes. For a moment, Nozomi met gazes with this unfamiliar apparition. Then, with a final burst of irridescent light, the tree stood silent.

She sighed, putting a hesitant hand against the wooden trunk, but Tsunami was once more just a tree.

"Nozomi!" A voice startled her from across the field and she turned, seeing a girl running towards her. She let out a gasp as she recognised the young girl from the tree's projection, and she took a step backwards, feeling the hard wood of Tsunami's trunk behind her.

"Sasami-denka?" She whispered. "Is that who you are? How...how do you know my name?"

"You are real." Sasami grabbed Nozomi's hands, gazing on her with Tsunami's gentle eyes. "I knew you must be, then Tsunami told me you were here, at her tree, and that I had to make sure you understood...oh, but if you are here, then it means my whole dream was real. That Jurai is going to be destroyed."

"It's real, but it doesn't have to stay that way." Nozomi said with a frown. "You and Tsunami are already connected, aren't you? I had no idea it happened when you were as young as this."

"Lately all of my thoughts and dreams seem to lead into hers." Sasami admitted, a shadow touching her face. "Did you bring Ryoko and Tenchi to Jurai, Nozomi? Is that what Tsunami - I mean I - sent you to do?"

"Well, they are here." Nozomi sighed. "So you know who I am...everything?"

"As much as Tsunami tells me." Sasami nodded her head. "I'm glad they're here, Nozomi. Jurai needs both of them."

She laid a hand on the tree, and light flickered once more across the branches, bathing the young girl in it's rays. Then it was silent once more, and Sasami gazed up at the newcomer in sudden comprehension.

"She's asked you to wake up Kagato's tree." She said softly. "You know, Washu has been working on the same idea...that if we're to destroy Kagato, he has to be caught before he can seep through Jurai's water and soil and weaken Tsunami at her roots."

"Tsunami said it must be my blood that raises him." Nozomi glanced up at the tree. "I thought it was because I'm Kagato's grandchild, but from what she said..."

"Even a monster like Kagato needs the Tree of Life to live." Sasami whispered, and that strange, older look entered her eyes once more. "Tsunami knows that. Souja is her son, after all. What he takes from Souja, he takes from Tsunami. That's why, in your world, she was weak. Kagato is like a parasite on Souja, but it's deeper than that and we can't let it continue."

"I suppose that makes sense." Nozomi admitted. "Though I'm a little afraid of Souja. I can still remember what happened the day the sky went black."

Sasami reached out a hand, and Nozomi felt the girl's steady grip in hers. 

"We need to find Ryoko and Tenchi." The princess said softly. "Tsunami needs them. Do you know where they went?"

"Yes. To see the Emperor." Nozomi nodded, looking startled. "But I don't know how to get to him. I'm not sure where they went, exactly, and although I know the palace pretty well in my time, I'm not sure I want to risk teleporting around it in yours."

"To see my Uncle?" Sasami looked thoughtful. "Hmm. Well, he's not holding session in the council chamber today, and I know he's not in the Throne Room. That must mean he's in his private apartments - so that's where we need to go. Will you come with me, Nozomi? The sooner we find Ryoko and Tenchi, the sooner we can deal with Kagato."

"And the sooner we can save this world." Nozomi looked haunted. "All right, Sasami-denka. I'm coming with you!"

As they reached the Emperor's private apartments, they heard the sound of raised voices, and then, a bang and a thud. Before either the Princess or her companion could react, Ryoko appeared through the thick oaken doorway, a look on her face as dark as thunder, and Nozomi faltered, shooting her a trepidant glance. Ryoko took no notice of either Nozomi or Sasami. Once in the hall, she flickered and blurred from view, disappearing into nothing as the door of the study opened.

"Ryoko?" Tenchi's voice sounded anxious, and then, "Nozomi! Sasami? What's going on here?"

"Where has Mother gone in such a hurry?" Nozomi flitted her gaze to the spot the pirate had disappeared. "Did something happen, Tenchi-san? She looked upset."

"I think she discovered something she wasn't prepared to discover." Tenchi said heavily. "She's gone to speak to Washu. Sasami, do you know where that is? I'm half afraid that at the moment it might mean another fight. As Nozomi said, she's pretty upset."

"Yes, I can take you there." Sasami nodded. She hugged Tenchi, slipping her hand into his and another one into Nozomi's as they began to thread their way back through the corridors. "And I'm glad you're back here. I missed you. Both you and Ryoko. And Nozomi's here too, so everything is going to be all right now. Tsunami's told me everything...everything that needs to be done. Only...only with Ayeka still away, Tenchi-chan, it's you and Ryoko who she needs most of all."

"I got the feeling our stop here might be more complicated than just a fact-finding mission." Tenchi nodded his head. "Right now, though, I'm worried about what Ryoko might do to Washu. You know she's Ryoko's mother, Sasami - in a manner of speaking."

"Yes, I know." Sasami agreed. "Tsunami told me."

"I see." Tenchi chewed on his lip. "She didn't happen to also tell you whether Washu is going to survive this encounter, did she?"

"Washu's pretty tough." Sasami shrugged her shoulders. "And I think it's a good thing Ryoko knows the truth now. Now maybe she'll understand that it's her destiny to help beat Kagato. And that's what Tsunami wants us to do, Tenchi. So it's all okay in the end, right?"

"I wish I could look at things that simply." Tenchi said pensively. He cast a glance at Nozomi, who sent him a questioning one in response.

"You're quiet. Are you all right?"

"Yes." Nozomi inclined her head. "Just thinking about how beautiful my planet is, before Kagato brings it to hell. That's all."

"Well, we're going to try and prevent that from happening. When we find Ryoko and peel her away from Washu." Tenchi said with a frown. "Sasami, you seem to have all the answers right now. Can you tell me what's going on? At least, what Tsunami expects from us and why she sent Nozomi here to intervene, exactly?"

"Tsunami knows that Kagato will poison Jurai one way or another, through the air or through the ground. Whichever he has better access to." Sasami nodded her head. "And the longer he stays in Souja's tree, the more damage he does underground. In time, it will affect the water and the plants, trees will die and people too. Like a sickness...spreading through everyone until there's noone left alive."

"Except you." Nozomi cast Sasami a faint smile. "And me."

"Thanks to Tsunami's magic." Sasami agreed. "Yes. But by then it's too late to do anything about it. Tenchi, Nozomi was the one who brought Kagato back to life. Tsunami sent her back here to do the same thing again - so that Kagato could be challenged and defeated before his hold on this planet was complete. At the moment, Tsunami still holds most of Jurai as her own, and the odds favour her."

She dimpled, her childish levity seeming in stark contrast to her solemn words.

"And that's where you and Ryoko come in." She added. "I don't have magic of my own, exactly - anything that I have comes directly from the Tree of Life, because of my connection to Tsunami. But it hasn't passed to me through the bloodline of my family, not like it did to Ayeka and to you and Ryoko. But Ayeka isn't here, Tenchi, and you and Ryoko are."

"So we're going to fight the bad guy, if Nozomi wakes him up." Tenchi scratched his head. "That figures."

"Something like that." Sasami responded. "If you're willing to do it."

"I don't think we have a lot of choice in the matter, from what you've just said." Tenchi pursed his lips. "If Kagato is a threat to Jurai so long as he continues to exist, we'll have to stop him existing, somehow. I don't suppose Tsunami's told you the outcome of that battle yet, Sasami?"

"No, she hasn't." Sasami shook her head. "I'm not sure if she knows it...not yet. Her future still reflects Nozomi's past, after all. The timeline hasn't begun to change yet. She can only guess, like the rest of us, whether or not it will be enough."

"Okay, well, I have a plan." Tenchi said decidedly. "We'll find Ryoko, calm her down and tell her everything you just told me. And then, well, I guess we're preparing for battle again - whether we like it or not!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"Washu?"

The scientist glanced up from her computer, a frown touching her face at the sound of her name. 

"_Washu_! Answer me, damn you, and let me in! I want to talk to you and it won't wait - answer me before I blast the door of this room down!"

"Ryoko?" Washu's brows knitted together, and she cast a faltering glance at the data on her computer screen. "Ryoko? Is that you out there? Keep the noise down, will you? I'm trying to concentrate!"

"Then _let me in_!"

There was a tremendous explosion, and the door of the Juraian chamber blew clean off it's hinges, dust and smoke clearing to reveal the pirate standing in the doorway. Washu examined her expression thoughtfully, then shrugged her shoulders.

"Nice entrance, although I'm sure Azusa will want you to pay for that." She remarked off-handedly. Ryoko's eyes narrowed to mere slits.

"I want to talk to you." She said darkly, as she approached the workstation, her body language warning the scientist that she was in no mood to play. "And I want the truth. No more games, Washu! I want to know exactly what the situation is, right here and right now."

"What situation would you be talking about?" Washu asked calmly. "There are an infinite number of possible answers to that question, Ryoko. I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific. And I must admit, I'm surprised to see you back on Jurai - I thought you'd absolved yourself of all of this for good."

"And I thought you were tucked away in sub-space, but here we are." Ryoko snapped back. "Stop it! I warned you! I want you to tell me once and for all what's really going on! You came aboard my spaceship, started talking to me about gems and destiny...and now I find out from the Emperor of Jurai - of all people! - that the mad scientist in the store-cupboard is really my mother? Tell me the truth, damn you! _I want to know_!"

A moment of silence greeted her statement, and Washu eyed her companion slowly. Then, at length, she sighed.

"Seems to me like you already know plenty." She said, resigned. Light flickered from Ryoko's fingertips at this casual response, and she paused inches from Washu's desk, sending her a cold glare.

"So it is true?" She asked, in low tones that spoke of a woman on the verge of losing her temper.

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose it is." Washu offered a wry smile, shrugging her shoulders. "Of course, if you want to be technical, I suppose you could call the laboratory equipment Mother, too. I didn't think you were so sentimental though, Ryoko. Is any of this really important? There are bigger things at stake here than your search for your roots, you know. And I'm sorry, but I don't think I still have the unit in which you were born. So...that reunion might have to be postponed - I'm sure you understand it's been a long time since I first thought about genetically engineering a baby. A lot has happened since then."

"You mean I'm nothing but another _experiment_?"

Ryoko banged her hands down hard on Washu's worktop, electricity flaring from her fingers as she glared at her companion. "Is that all that I am, another one of your damn _machines_?"

"You get so emotional." Washu pursed her lips, glancing the angry pirate up and down, then returning her attention to her work. "That really can't be good, you know. You waste such a lot of energy that way."

"To hell with my energy!" Ryoko exclaimed, dispersing Washu's translucent computer with her hand, and grabbing the diminuitive scientist by the collar, soaring up towards the roof of the room as she did so.

"I want some answers from you! What the hell did you think you were doing? Playing God? You thought you'd dabble and meddle and see what you turned up - is that it?"

"Put me down, you silly girl." Washu folded her arms across her chest, shaking her head slightly. "All of your anger is misplaced, you know. Without my help, you wouldn't even be here. At least remember that before you throw your mother half way across a room this size."

"My mother?" Ryoko's eyes became big with disbelief. "Are you joking with me? Washu, I'm not your daughter, I'm your science project! You didn't give birth to me, you created me in one of your big tanks, like a lab rat or some kind of cloning experiment! Don't pretend that there was anything else behind it!"

"Actually, there was a great deal behind it." Washu looked pensive. "If you would put me down, we could discuss it like mature adults, instead of fighting over it like children. What do you say, Ryoko? Do you think you can treat me with a little respect? After all, you are more to me than just a science experiment. Much more, in fact. I pinned a lot of my hopes on you."

"You did what?" Ryoko almost dropped the woman in her surprise, hovering towards the ground and dumping her burden on the top of a nearby table.

"I made an elementary scientific error of judgement." Washu said quietly, picking herself up into a sitting position. "I put my faith in one project, and didn't really plan for that one to fail. I was so confident in what I could do and in the security of this experiment that I was certain there wouldn't need to be a back up. You weren't designed to be a random cloning experiment, Ryoko. Why do you think I chose Kagato to be your father?"

"Please tell me it isn't because you had some kind of affair with him, and couldn't bear to let him go." Ryoko's voice was edged with sarcasm, and Washu shook her head.

"Not all of us are susceptible to the soft emotions you are, my girl." She said sharply. "No. Not at all."

"Well, you never know. It could be a weakness I inherited from you, falling for a Juraian prince." Ryoko snapped. "So what was I then? A hood ornament? A shelf display? Your entrance exam to the Science Academy? What?"

"I designed you to deal with Kagato." Washu clambered down off the unit, walking across her laboratory to one of the computer screens and hitting a few buttons. "I knew that he would be trouble, Ryoko, and that he had to be stopped somehow. I just didn't know how to do it. I knew he'd been working with those gems. When I was working with him and his scientists to augment their power and make them vessels of Jurai's magic, I realised he was tuning them to his own advantage. To him and his genetic structure. I never trusted him, but nobody would hear a word against him. He was the beloved son of the Lady Aiko, and a powerful influence at court...Yosho's friend and sparring partner. I was the only one who saw him for what he was...it's a trait of my people, that. The ability to read people's characters beyond what they put out."

"Get to the point." Ryoko growled, flickering bolts of energy from her hands as she hovered midway between the floor and the ceiling. "I'm getting bored."

"I decided that something had to be done about him, before he brought the whole universe to it's knees." Washu said simply. "And obviously, having heard Sasami's dream account of the future, I was right in every regard. The only mistake I made was with you, my dear. But you know, you learn from your errors, or so they say."

She shrugged.

"I was an ambitious young scientist and I used everything to my best advantage." She added. "Kagato knew I relied on him for royal patronage so he trusted in me...enough that I had access to the gems where others did not. When I decided I must leave, I knew I would take them with me. It took much of my spare time to design and build a container in which to hold them safely, without any leakages of power or dangerous emissions. I can't touch those stones either, you see. I'm not Juraian. I don't have that power."

She hit another sequence of buttons, and a door opened in the computer, revealing a slim silver capsule. She picked it up, running her finger over it absently.

"It's no mean feat, you know, keeping Jurai power locked up in something as small as this container."

"So you quit Jurai and then what? Decided to do some genetic dabbling?"

"Yes." Washu inclined her head in confirmation of Ryoko's words. "I took samples of his hair with me too. If his genetic structure was especially tuned to the crystals, I felt I had a good chance of duplicating that in a baby. My own genetic structure is such that it becomes recessive to other genes applied. That you would inherit his power in some respect was a certainty, but I toiled and worked as hard as I could to ensure you would develop the full range of his magic alongside the few of my own traits. Even then, I didn't know if it would be enough, and I knew he would be looking for the gems. So I trusted you and them to one of my lab associates - a young woman named Kichi. She was the only one in whom I trusted everything."

"And it cost her her life." Ryoko said flatly. "You do know that, I hope?"

"Yes, Ryoko, I know that." Regret flickered across Washu's expression. "And I accept responsibility for it, also. I thought she would be safe...I thought wrong."

"So my memory is a fake." Ryoko's voice shook. "The woman who played with me and who I was with before she died...that's all fake, isn't it? She wasn't my mother. She never was. It was all a gigantic game!"

"It wasn't a game." Washu shook her head. "She would have been your mother, and she would have trained you in everything you needed to know."

"To become a killer, you mean."

"Yes." Washu agreed. "To deal with your father once and for all."

"And was I to know about any of this?"

"It wasn't planned." Washu admitted. "I thought that you'd lose focus, if you knew your true origins. Kichi would have raised you to believe him your enemy. You have to realise that she wasn't simply another woman who worked with me. Kichi was one of the most intelligent students at the Academy, and her knowledge of universal magic was unsurpassed. She was your best hope to learn how to master your magic and the power the gems gave you."

She sighed.

"But my experiment failed." She added regretfully. "You faced Kagato untrained and unfocused, and you almost died for it. Sasami's account of the future suggests no improvement between now and then. I failed to develop the weapon I was sure I had crafted...to the detriment of the entire universe."

"I am not a weapon, Washu." Ryoko spat out. "Did it occur to you that your little project might wind up having feelings or opinions of her own? Or did that totally escape your train of thought?"

"It never really came into the equation." Washu admitted. "If it had, maybe I'd have been able to do something about your emotional instability. As it is..."

"As it is...what?"

"Well, you need to ask that question?" Washu raised an eyebrow. "You tell me, my girl."

Ryoko clenched her fists, her amber eyes narrowing to almost slits.

"You lied to me." She said quietly. "And you would have kept lying to me. You would have thrown me into a battle with a madman, without knowing all of the stakes."

"Sometimes it's safer that way." Washu responded. "But I didn't think you dwelt on the past, Ryoko-chan. I was under the impression that you looked to the future...am I wrong?"

"My future is not likely to be all that long, thanks to you and your meddling!"

"You wouldn't have a future or a past if not for me." Washu said frankly. "This argument is pointless. If you spent less time worrying about your emotions and more time worrying about your magic, you'd be a damn fierce fighter by now. Do you really think that all of this is going to help you fight and defeat Kagato?"

"Right now I could care less about Kagato."

"Well, if that's how you feel, I guess we've nothing more to say to one another." Washu shrugged. "It's up to you, Ryoko. I've done all of the research in the last few days, and it keeps coming back to the same thing. You're connected to Kagato. Maybe you can even wake him from his tree - who knows? It's possible. But either way, your fate and his are intertwined. The old accounts almost say it, word for word...in among texts about the rising Darkness and the Tree of Death they mention references to the blood of a descendant, and the fire of father against child. Juraian seers have predicted this for centuries. Milennia, even. All things I had no idea of when I embarked on my little experiment, but fate has a funny way of turning things up sometimes, just to suit it's own purpose."

"And what about Nozomi? Did you send her to play games with me too?"

"Nozomi?" Washu looked blank. "Who or what is Nozomi?"

"Don't lie to me!"

"I assure you, I'm doing no such thing." Washu shook her head. "I don't know who Nozomi is - care to fill me in?"

"Some girl, claiming to be my daughter from the future. Saying she's here on Tsunami's orders...or something." Ryoko grimaced. "Are you sure that she's not just another one of your tricks?"

"You have my word on it." Interest flickered in Washu's eyes. "I see. So Tsunami has taken matters into her own hands in other ways, too. That should be comforting to know, at the very least."

"I don't feel very comforted. You mean she really _is_ my daughter?"

"Maybe. Who knows?" Washu shrugged. "I haven't met the girl, and even if I did, this future we're resolving is a possible one. It's not concrete - not yet. If it was, nothing we could do could change it. Perhaps in that future, you do have a daughter. Maybe in that world, Tsunami-sama found the strength to throw her back here, to the time where everything needs to be resolved. It's a bunch more open questions, really. Things I can't answer without understanding Jurai's magic, and that's something no scientist has ever managed to do. Besides, right now it's beside the point."

She spread her hands.

You might not like your destiny...but you can't escape it completely. None of us can. Ayeka recognised hers and followed it when she married Takeru-dono. You keep fighting and kicking against yours and you're running out of time. This isn't a game. The final outcome may well be down to you, regardless of whether you're ready for it or not."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that there's nothing you can do to change the future unless you change things in the past. Or rather, in the present in which you already live." Washu said quietly. "Kagato will become too strong. Tsunami will not be able to hold off his magic forever. She is strong, but if we can believe Sasami's testimony, she was forced into assimilation before it was her time. As it is, she's not at full strength. She cannot defeat Kagato alone, and Jurai and Earth are already dead. Other planets will follow. Do you want that to happen?"

"Since I'm already dead in that world, I don't see why I'd care."

"You value your life too cheaply, sometimes." Washu looked sad. "I intended you to be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to destroy Kagato - instead I have a daughter who flirts with death and danger when there's no need and who seems determined to throw her life away on the least excuse. Do you not realise how much rests on your survival? I do. I've come to realise over the past few days that Tsunami didn't resurrect you aboard Karasu because Sasami wanted her to. She resurrected you because she needs you. What's more, she knows what I know. There are only two creatures who can wield the magic in those gems. Kagato is one and you are the other."

"You're telling me that Tsunami knew all of that already, before it even happened?" Despite herself, Ryoko was taken aback. Washu nodded.

"Of course she did." She replied. "There have been signs, omens and prophesies associated with the Tsunami-sama legend for generations. You should really do your reading before you jump to conclusions...Tsunami is a very powerful force."

Her voice softened.

"But even if you value your life cheaply, don't forget that Tenchi is also dead in this future world." She said quietly. "You could prevent that, if you acted now. You might not care about your own future, Ryoko...but what of Tenchi's future? Doesn't that bother you even a little bit?"

"Tenchi..." Ryoko's expression became stricken. "But I don't know how to wake Kagato, let alone fight him! And you said it yourself...I'm not capable!"

Washu shrugged her shoulders.

"Not much I can do about that, is there?" She asked flippantly. "I'm a scientist. I'm not a magician and I'm not from Jurai. Juraian magic defies science on so many levels...much of it is beyond even my reach and scope. That's why I brought Kichi into the equation. You'll have realised, of course, that she was no shrinking violet. She would have fought for her life, you know, and for your life as well. The force that killed her must have come from Kagato in some shape or form. And did you never wonder why they did not come for you too? A small girl of two or three years old? Use your head, Ryoko! Kichi knew what I knew - that your survival was more important than hers. She shielded you from their sight and sacrificed her own strength to keep you safe."

"Mother." Despite herself, Ryoko bit her lip, the electricity flickering out. "But..."

"Yes, Ryoko." Washu nodded. "She was your mother. Probably more than I would have been or will ever be. But she did love you. That wasn't a lie. And she believed in what we did...she would have done all she could to ensure your strength and your survival."

"And you, Washu? What do you think I should do?" Ryoko dropped down to the floor, approaching the scientist slowly. "If everything you say is true, how am I supposed to fight this man? I can't control those gems and the last time I tried, it stopped my heart. I can't rely on Tsunami's goodwill a second time...what if he kills me and then goes on to ravage and pillage the universe?"

"It's a chance you may have to take, since there isn't really anyone else who can try." Washu pursed her lips. "Though honestly, Ryoko, you do have an advantage that I haven't taken into account. Something that makes you stronger than you would otherwise be...something that may just make the difference."

"Which is?"

"I designed you to fight and kill Kagato on your own." Washu said simply. "But as you rightly surmised, I didn't take into account your emotional development. In some ways, of course, it's been your weakness. And yet, I know that it's also proven your strength, Ryoko. You managed to control those crystals the last time because Tenchi was in danger. The way you feel about him is something I hadn't accounted for in my calculations. That something such as love could even influence their power...but then again, I suppose that the Tsunami-sama legend is based on love, rather than on a show of strength. Maybe it's crazy, and I have no scientific data to back it up. But I think your affection for that boy makes you a stronger fighter. And I think it might be the strongest weapon you have against Kagato."

"I see." Ryoko glanced down at her fingers, flexing them thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right. I have been different since I fell on the Earth. I was always strong, Washu...but not like this."

"Plus, you are no longer fighting as a lone soldier." Washu added. "You have him fighting at your side. Tenchi is an extremely powerful young man, Ryoko, and his full power hasn't yet found itself inside of him. He defeated Kagato, yes...but he didn't destroy him. There's more inside of him - I've known it since the moment I first met him. Between the two of you, you might have the power to nullify and defeat Kagato once and for all."

Ryoko was silent for a moment.

"So what's to stop him disappearing back into his tree?" She asked.

"Well, you'd need to destroy Souja as well, of course." Washu nodded her head. "But then, I don't think you'll find Souja objecting. He wants death."

She held out the silver capsule.

"I think you'll find that you need these." She added.

Ryoko rubbed her temples. She hesitated for a moment, then reached out a hand for the container, taking it and glancing at it doubtfully.

"Right." She said quietly. "Well, I'm still not done with you over this, but it looks like you get your wish. Somehow I guess Tenchi and I are going to find Kagato and we're going to get rid of him. And then, when we have...we're going to talk about this some more. Don't think you've escaped just because of a little thing like universal peril. I will be back."

With that she flickered and blurred, disappearing from the lab and leaving Washu alone. The scientist glanced up at the walls of the room, pursing her lips thoughtfully.

"I look forward to it." She said aloud. "Be careful, Ryoko-chan. Make sure you do come back."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"Now where has she gone?"

Ryoko glanced up at her space-ship, a look of irritation on her face. "Ryo Ohki, what did I tell you to do? Before Tenchi and I went to see Azusa, what, exactly, did I ask of you?"

Ryo Ohki miaowed back at her, a mixture of penitence and defiance in her tone, and Ryoko closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly.

"I don't care if she can teleport. I told you to stick with her and you've let me down." She said reproachfully. "That kid knows nothing about this place in this time, whatever she says about it. She'll get herself - and us - into trouble and right now it's the last thing we need. Ryo Ohki, I was counting on you!"

Ryo Ohki mewed again, and Ryoko's eyes snapped open, staring up at the spaceship with a quizzical look in her eyes.

"Tsunami's tree? Is that what you said?" She demanded. "Why on earth? Why did she go there? It's just a tree...nothing special to look at. What did she think, that the Goddess would be there waiting for her?"

She sighed, leaning up against the frame of the ship as she glanced at the jewel capsule in her hand. The cold silver seemed to burn into her palm, and she bit her lip, running a finger over the outer coating. Symbols carved in the corner marked out Washu's name and she hesitated, reliving the encounter with her mother.

So now she knew, she mused. Everything that had not made sense before now clicked into place, building up a chilling kind of logic as she set it all out before her. It was how Washu had known to send the Dark Heart to her, and not Ayeka or Tenchi. It was why the scientist had been so cutting about her abilities, as she recovered from the aftermath of the battle with Haki. It explained...she sighed, glancing up at the sky.

"It explains why I even exist." She whispered. "And I can't do a damn thing about it, either! I'm stuck, Ryo Ohki. Stuck in this stupid gameplan that other people have designed. I could hop aboard you right now and we could take off into Deep Space, but where would I go? You know better than anyone that there is nowhere for me to go out there. No home. No safehouse. Nothing. And no life, either. Not now. Not on my own. I just...I can't leave Jurai without Tenchi, and I know he won't leave if it means turning his back on this planet."

Ryo Ohki whimpered softly, as if sharing her misgivings. Ryoko nodded her head.

"I know." She acknowledged. "I'm thinking like a coward again. It's these gems, Ryo Ohki. I've never been so scared of anything in my life as I am what they can do to me. It's not that they could kill me. I've faced death down before and I'm not afraid to die. You know that's the truth. But it's the rest...the memories, the dark thoughts, the unrelenting waves of magic beating against my brain. They twist me, change me...it takes everything I have just to stop them from taking over completely. I don't have the control and it scares me to think that I may have to use them again. But that's what Washu said, pretty much. And somehow I have to find my nerve. If I'm going to die here, I'm not going to do it as a coward. I'm going to...going to try and remember that thing she said, when we were flying in space. The ones who face their destiny are the heroes? Well, I might not succeed, and I might not be a hero, when all's said and done. But I'm not going to be remembered as a coward and a villain, while the whole world dies around me."

"So here you are."

A voice interrupted her soul searching and she glanced up, seeing Tenchi watching her, Nozomi and Sasami in tow. She frowned, slipping the jewel case behind her back.

"I wondered where you'd got to." She said frankly. Her gaze fixed on Nozomi, and she scowled. "And where, exactly, did I tell you to wait?"

"I got bored." Nozomi admitted. "But I met Sasami-denka, and spoke to...to Tsunami-sama. I understand what we have to do now. Tenchi and I both do, Ryoko-san."

"Great." Ryoko sighed. "I think I'm beginning to get the picture, too."

"Did Washu survive your little tete a tete?" Tenchi asked softly, coming to her side and resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. Ryoko started, then nodded.

"Huh? Oh. Yes. Of course she did." She said heavily. "I'm pretty mad at her, but other things are pressing, so I told her we'd settle the rest up later. Whatever I think about it, Tenchi, I can't keep running away from this. She built me to fight Kagato. That's what I must do."

"You weren't built. You were born." Tenchi said firmly. Ryoko shook her head.

"No...I was built." She said with a sigh. "In a lab, in a unit, with Washu playing God as she meddled with my DNA. I'm just another one of her garbled experiments, nothing more. About time I fulfilled the purpose she created me for, isn't it? After all, I didn't get born like you did. I guess that means I don't get a choice about how I live my life."

"Of course it does." Sasami spoke softly, gazing up at the pirate with soft crimson eyes. "Ryoko, you are still a child of Tsunami. However you came to be. She still recognises you as one of her own - even if the rest of Jurai does not. And she needs your help. She didn't forsake you aboard Karasu, did she? Now you can't forsake her, either. Don't do this because you feel forced into it. Do it because it's the right thing. For Tsunami and for the Universe as a whole. Earth, Jurai - everything. Will you help?"

"Sasami?" Ryoko's eyes flickered with surprise. Tenchi squeezed her hand.

"Sasami is right." He added. "However you came to be, what matters is that you're here now and we have a job we have to do. You and me, Ryoko. Ayeka isn't here, so it's down to us to set things right. Between us, maybe we can do it. What do you say? Will you come with me to Souja and try?"

"It's not just you." Nozomi stood forward at that moment, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm here too, remember. This involves me as much as it does you, because it's my world we're trying to change."

"You're not strong enough to even go near Kagato." Ryoko flickered her gaze over the young girl, then shook her head. "If you can't beat me in a fair fight, you haven't a hope of touching Kagato's magic. I'm not really sure I can dent him any, either, when it comes to that. For you it would be suicide."

"But..."

"Forget it, Nozomi." Ryoko held up her free hand. "I mean it. You're not going to fight Kagato."

She pursed her lips, sending Tenchi a slight smile.

"Tenchi and I will take care of him." She added. "Somehow. Because, obviously, that's the only way we're going to get off this wretched planet and find some peace and quiet on the Earth for once. Sasami, you and Nozomi go back to the palace. It might get nasty, and I doubt Tsunami would want you hurt if it came to the crunch."

"I'll go back." Sasami nodded her head. "But Nozomi has to go with you. Ryoko, she's the only one who can bring Kagato from his tree. She has to go, or the whole trip will be futile."

"Bring Kagato...?" Ryoko faltered, then, "But Washu said it was me...? That I was the one linked to him...that in the legend...?"

"Nozomi's blood is a mixture of Kagato's and the true Jurai line." Sasami said simply, reaching over to grasp first Ryoko's hand and then Tenchi's, placing them together between her own. "To wake him, you need both. Nozomi is the only one who has the right mixture of magic to make it work. That's why Tsunami wanted her here with you all along. Nozomi raised him in her time, too - and she'll do it again, here and now. Won't you, Nozomi?"

"If it's what Tsunami wants from me, yes." Nozomi nodded her head. "And I know that it is."

"Then I suppose it'll be the three of us heading out to Souja." Tenchi reflected. Ryoko shrugged.

"All right." She agreed unwillingly. "But after you've done - whatever you're going to do to raise him, I want you to teleport out of there. Do you understand me, Nozomi? You'll only get hurt, and I don't want you distracting either Tenchi or I when we're trying to focus on our own battle."

Nozomi did not answer at first, and Ryoko shot her a sharp look.

"Nozomi?"

Nozomi raised her amber-gold eyes to her mother's, a haunted look in their depths.

"I don't think Tsunami intends me to fight with you anyway." She said softly. "I don't think I'm likely to interfere in your battle, Okaa-san. You don't need to worry about that. I know my part."

"Good. Then it's settled." Ryoko nodded her head. "Tenchi, grab a hold of me. We're going to Souja, and we're going there now. The sooner we work this all out, the sooner we can go home. Right?"

"Right." Tenchi agreed, tightening his grasp on her hand. "Ready whenever you are, Ryoko."

Ryoko cast Nozomi another look.

"You know where you're going?" She demanded. Nozomi nodded her head.

"Couldn't possibly forget it." She agreed. "I'll see you there. I...want to speak to Sasami-denka first. To...say goodbye. After all, if we succeed, I...I'll go back to my timeline, won't I? Or...you know...I won't be able to speak to her after."

"All right, then." Ryoko agreed. "But don't be too long!"

With that she closed her eyes, focusing on the barren land surrounding Souja's dying tree. When she opened them again, they were mere feet from the high wooden fence that Sasami and Washu had mounted in order to get a better look at the forbidden land on the other side, and she let out a sigh, rubbing her arms absently as a shiver ran down her spine. Tenchi rubbed his temples, getting his bearings. Then he cast her a glance.

"You all right?" He asked. "I know, it's a big ask and it's been thrown at us all of a sudden."

"This isn't your battle, Tenchi-chan." Ryoko shook her head slowly. "You don't have to fight it, you know. It's me who was created for this. Not you. You don't have to face him just because you're associated with me."

"Don't be silly. You should know by now that my fight is your fight and vice versa." Tenchi told her frankly. "I...hey, what have you got there?" As he caught sight of the capsule in her hands. Ryoko started, closing her fingers more tightly around the case, but Tenchi reached for her hand, gently opening her fist. His gaze darkened as he recognised the capsule.

"Ryoko."

"I know. I know." Ryoko sighed, dropping down on the ground and crossing her legs as she placed the jewel case in front of her. "It's stupid, isn't it? I didn't want them anywhere near me and I said that I wouldn't change my mind. But talking to Washu..."

She sighed, shaking her head as if to clear it.

"It seems pretty clear to me that I don't stand a hope in hell's chance of beating Kagato without using them." She admitted. "And much as I hate the idea, I'm not going to throw my life away and leave you to pick up the pieces after me. This is my fight, and if I'm going to fight it, I'm going to be as ready as I can be. But I don't want them, Tenchi. I...I really don't know how well I can handle them."

Tenchi held out his hand for the capsule, taking it and glancing at it.

"So much power trapped inside something so small." He said softly. Ryoko nodded.

"Size isn't everything, I guess that's what they say." She agreed. She closed her eyes, as if giving herself a mental pep talk. Then she glanced at him, gesturing towards the capsule.

"All right." She said quietly. "Open it."

"Are you sure?" Tenchi eyed her keenly, noting the slight tremble in her hands as she held out her arms, palms up to receive the gems. "Ryoko...are you scared?"

"What do you think?" Ryoko snapped. "I've died because of these things once and I don't really have happy memories of the experience. Just get it over with already, will you? Before I lose my nerve completely!"

Tenchi hesitated for a moment. Then, very carefully, he released the catch on the capsule. It gave a soft click, and a dim flare of reddish light began to creep out from around the edges. As he lifted the lid up fully, the three crystals hovered and shone, sparkling with a strange, eerie glow. Ryoko closed her eyes, holding her wrists higher as the stones began to gravitate towards her. As they made contact with her skin, Ryoko let out a cry, and Tenchi fought the impulse to touch her, unsure as to whether his hands would cause her more pain. Another heart-wrenching shriek echoed out across the landscape, as scarlet rays seem to bathe the pirate in blood red light. Then, the brightness faded, and all was quiet once more.

Tenchi tossed the empty capsule to the floor, crouching at Ryoko's side. Her eyes remained closed, her brow creased in intense concentration, and beads of perspiration formed on her brow as she fought to take control of the gems' sinister power. Shivers ran through her body and despite himself, Tenchi could not hold back any longer. He slid his arm gingerly around her, holding her tightly in his arms. She let out a faint whimper, and he ran a gentle finger down her cheek.

"Ryoko?" He whispered softly. "Can you hear me?"

"Tenchi..."

The word was faint and barely coherent, but it gave Tenchi hope and he clung to it.

"Ryoko, you know what you have to do." He whispered. "You have to control your fear of these things or it will control you first, you know that. You are strong enough to manage these jewels, because you've done it before. And you're one of the bravest people I've ever met. You've fought harder battles than anyone I know and still come out the other side. I believe in you, so don't stop believing in yourself. They're strong, I know that. But you have to take control. Like you did aboard Karasu, remember? This battle is just as important...if not more. There's just as much at stake."

Ryoko's eyes flickered open, and she glanced up at him through strange, almost fevered eyes.

"I want to kill him." She whispered. "That's what we have to do, Tenchi. Find Kagato and kill him. All of this is his fault! I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for him and his stupid greed!"

A shudder wracked through her body and she gripped hold of his arm tightly, making him wince involuntarily.

"I _can_ master this." She muttered. "The last time, I was already acclimatised to two gems when the third one hit me. This time it's so much stronger...I wasn't expecting it to be so hard."

"It's not harder than you can manage, Ryoko-chan." Tenchi told her gently. "We both know that."

"Well, Washu said that if you can feel pain, you're still alive." Ryoko drew a shaky breath of air into her lungs, glancing down at her wrists as she did so. "Take it from me, Tenchi. I'm definitely alive. And that being the case...Where's Nozomi?"

"I'm here, Ryoko-san." Nozomi flickered into view at that moment, setting down on the ground and sending the pirate a look of alarm. "What happened? What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing I can't handle." Determination coursed through Ryoko's veins, and she set her teeth, forcing the flood of images and sensations to the back of her brain. "Nozomi, whatever you're going to do to Souja, hurry up and do it, will you? I'm ready when you are. We both are. After all..."

She faltered, then struggled to her feet, raising her hand to the imposing fence and sending a barrage of red-orange energy in it's direction, blowing it clean apart, splinters of wood falling all around them like rain.

"After all, we have a Juraian traitor to deal with."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Souja's tree stood, tall and bleak, in the centre of a barren wasteland. As Tenchi glanced at the forbidding sight, he felt a prickle run down his spine, anticipation racing through him as he recalled his last encounter with Kagato. Well, much had changed since then, he realised. The last round had gone in his favour, but then again, he had been so sure that he had finished off the evil prince once and for all. His grip clenched around his sword as he shot Ryoko a sidelong glance. And then...well, then there was her.

She had gained control of herself remarkably well, considering everything, but he knew her better than that and he could see the strangeness in her eyes and the thinness of her lips as she fought constantly against the gems' darker powers. What Kagato had done to the crystals in the first place, he did not know - but he found himself cursing the dark prince for it anyway. That Ryoko should have to go through so much for a second time pained him, and he felt his resolution double. Whatever happened, he told himself, he would not let her - or Jurai - down. Not in this battle.

"Right."

Nozomi's voice startled him back to the present, and he glanced up, seeing the young girl standing mere feet away from the trunk of the blackened old tree. Her face was pale, but determination flickered in her amber eyes, and Tenchi was struck once again at the resemblance between her and the pirate.

"I don't know what will happen when I do this." She continued, turning to meet his glance. "When I did it in...well, in the future, it was a little bit different. But Kagato rose out of Souja like a dark cloud blocking out the sun. I can't explain it any other way - the people of Jurai thought it was a solar eclipse. I don't know how much time you'll have before he starts to wake, so be ready, both of you. Like I said, I...I don't know quite what will happen."

"We're ready." Ryoko said quietly. "Just get on with it. Whatever he's going to throw at us, it can't be worse than waiting for it to come."

Nozomi nodded her head. She cast one more glance up at the tree's twisted branches, then reached into her belt, pulling out a long, narrow blade.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Tenchi stared at her in shock. "What are you going to do to yourself, Nozomi? Tsunami never said..."

"Tsunami said I was to do whatever I needed to do to wake Kagato, and for that, you need my blood." Nozomi told him calmly. "Sasami gave me the knife. That's why I waited behind. She knows what I have to do as well as I do, because she is Tsunami-sama - or she will be, one day."

She held up her hand, hesitating for a moment, then bringing the sharp blade across her palm, flinching slightly as the two made contact. Warm blood rushed out across her fingers, dripping to the ground below with a soft hiss, and she bit her lip, taking the knife in her wounded hand and repeating the action across the other, then dropping the blade to the floor. Clouds of steam sizzled up from the tainted landscape as traces of her blood made contact with the sap of Souja, and before Tenchi knew what she was doing, she had closed her eyes, muttering a brief prayer of help to the Goddess herself. Then, with determination, she thrust her hands forward, pressing them hard against the wood of Souja's trunk. At once, there was an intense flash of light, and as Tenchi watched, paralysed to the spot by horror and incredulation, Nozomi's hands sank beneath the surface of Souja's wood, taken deep into the tree as the young girl let out a cry of pain.

"Nozomi!" Ryoko sprang forward as if to pull her back, but Tenchi grabbed at her, holding her still.

"No." He said softly. "Tsunami asked her to do this - we can't stop her now."

"He'll kill her!"

"And he might yet kill us, too." Tenchi looked troubled. "I don't like it any more than you do, but Ryoko, this is why the kid was sent back here. Remember? Let her do what she has to do. We've got enough to do ourselves without worrying about Nozomi's role in all this."

Ryoko's eyes flickered with a strange fire, but before she could respond, there was another explosion of light and Nozomi was sent flying back across the ground. She lay still, unconscious against the dead foliage and it was all Tenchi could do not to run to her side, to see whether or not she was all right. Even from where he stood, however, he could see that her hands were badly burnt, blackened and damaged by the touch of the tree.

"Nozomi!" Ryoko blurred out of view, re-materialising over the girl's still form and standing over her, reaching a hesitant hand down to touch her throat. For a moment, nothing moved. Then the pirate let out a cry of anger, her body bathed in red light as she launched herself into the sky.

"Come on out, Kagato!" She exclaimed. "Or are you such a coward that you have your tree kill a child instead!"

"Is she...dead?" Tenchi stared, and Ryoko nodded her head curtly.

"That's what she meant, when she said she wouldn't be fighting our battle." She said softly, her palms flickering with dangerous shards of red energy. "She knew it would kill her but she did it anyway. And now it's our turn, Tenchi. No time for regrets...look."

She pointed, and Tenchi turned, seeing the slithers of blackish smoke that were beginning to pour forth from the tree's many branches. Anger seared inside of him as he cast another glance at Nozomi's still body, and in his grip, the sword flared and grew into a white hot blade as he prepared himself for battle.

The darkness continued to spread, swirling and changing as it darkened the whole landscape, clouding the sun as it rose towards the heavens. As it reached across the sky, deep within the massing blackness a vague physical form began to take shape, translucent and unfocused, but recognisable all the same.

"Well, well, well." The voice seemed to echo from nothing, but Tenchi knew that it came from the apparition that stood before them. "If it isn't the little Prince of Jurai. We meet again...and like your Grandfather before you, I intend to show you what a mistake you made in believing me dead and gone."

"Kagato!" Tenchi's eyes narrowed and he held his sword aloft. "I wasn't afraid of you then and I'm not afraid of you now! You're not going to spread any more of your poison across this planet! I give you my word on that!"

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep." Kagato's voice rumbled forth, and a sweep of darkness pushed Tenchi off his feet, dumping him down on the ground. "You see, I am not quite the man you fought then. I have grown. Developed. Taken from Tsunami what I needed to survive. You may think you've woken me while I'm still weak, but I will always be stronger than you - you and Azusa and everyone else on this wretched planet. See how easily I dispensed with that girl."

He flickered ghostly fingers at Nozomi. "Do you think you will fare any better against me?"

"You're going to regret killing anyone, Kagato." Ryoko launched a barrage of reddish light at the apparition, dispersing him, but only for the briefest of seconds. "I mean it! Why can't you just die, like any normal person! Jurai are sick of you! They don't want you! This is Tsunami's planet, it isn't yours!"

"So perhaps I could inhabit that world you think so much of, could I?" Kagato's shadowy face twisted into a derisive smile. "Earth, isn't that what they call it? Oh yes. I know who you are and what secrets you hide from me. Those gems you think you can so easily manage and control - they were my work. My magic. My design. Do you think that, even after this many years, I can't still harness their power for my own ends?"

"They've chosen a new mistress now." Ryoko's eyes glittered dangerously and she flicked her hand, her sword forming and glowing beneath her grip. "And I have control of these just as much as I'd like to, thank you very much. You're a twisted soul, Kagato, just like your tree! I don't care if you did taint these gems for your own ends. They don't belong to you now. They belong to me and I'm going to use them to bring you down!"

"Such an interesting idea, Ryoko." The words flitted across the sky like a breeze through the branches of a tree. "But through them, I can read every thought in your head. I know your weakness, I know your strength. I know your identity and I can use those things to stop you. I don't have to raise a finger to your pathetic, weak magic to bring you to your knees. All I have to do...is kill _him_... like I killed your precious offspring."

He flickered a hand at Tenchi, who ducked out of the way of the blast, holding his sword up to parry the blow.

"I'm not so easy to kill!" He exclaimed, launching at the apparition and swiping his blade through Kagato's torso. "I would have thought you'd have learnt that from the last fight we had!"

"And I would have thought you'd have learnt the same." Kagato blurred out of sight, drifting back into form across the other side of Souja's tree. "But obviously not, since here we still are. You're both like moths, batting against the window trying to get at the light. Do you think either one of you can hurt me? You, with your pathetic sword of Jurai, and you, with your stolen gemstones? Please. All the magic on this planet couldn't stop me now. Not even Tsunami could prevent me from taking Jurai as my own."

"We'll see about that." Ryoko snapped, launching a fresh volley of red fire at the ghostly prince, who once more blurred out of its path, re-materialising behind her.

"You have courage." He said softly. "But not much sense. Do you think that you inherited even a little bit of my magic, when you were built to be my nemesis? Foolish people meddling with small dreams, that's all you amount to in the end. You aren't strong enough to hurt me. Not even with those gems you fear so much. Your magic is untrained, your power is useless. You're going to die here, Ryoko, on a planet that hates you. Isn't that the cruellest of ironies? That they'll throw you to the front line, but they won't even call you Princess or treat you with the respect one deserves?"

"I'm not a princess and I'm not going to be fooled by your attempts to play with me!" Ryoko exclaimed, a reddish light enveloping her body as she sent out a flare of power in Kagato's direction. "I'm not your daughter, I'm a lab experiment, and if you've read my mind you know that. So you can't play on my emotions. I don't have any of those. Not where my family are concerned. You'll have to do better than that, Kagato. Right now, all I care about is killing you once and for all and if it kills me in the process, so be it! I'm not afraid!"

"I see." Kagato laughed, brushing the flare aside as if it were no more than a glancing blow. "You and who's army? The true power of those gems is locked away, far deeper than someone of your inferior ability could hope to manage. You don't understand what weapons you use, and it makes you weak."

He sent a stream of dark energy in the pirate's direction, knocking her out of the sky and she fell to the ground with a thump, struggling to pick herself back up.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi exclaimed. "Kagato, you've had your fun! It's time to end this, once and for all!"

"I agree, but in what way?" Kagato turned his back on the pirate, bearing down on Tenchi whose eyes narrowed as he held his sword aloft. "I tell you what, Prince of Jurai...why don't we play a little game? You're obviously no match for me, so a fight between us would be something of a waste of time." He paused, then, "And as for you, my little pirate, you can't sneak up on someone from behind when they can read every thought in your head as clearly as if you shouted it."

He swung around, taking Ryoko completely off guard as he enveloped her in a cloak of blackness, lifting her high above the ground as she fought tooth and nail against his grip.

"_Ryoko_! Let her go! Let her go, you monster!" Tenchi launched himself at Kagato, swinging his sword again and again as the piercing light of Jurai's power cut ribbons through the ghostly shape. Kagato glanced down at him, interest touching his lips.

"So, you care for this wasted piece of lab technology?" He asked, interest in his tone. "That makes the stakes all the more interesting, now doesn't it?"

The cloud of blackness that enveloped Ryoko grew stronger and her struggles grew more and more feeble as Tenchi watched, alarm and anxiety growing in his heart as he did so.

"Let her go!" He exclaimed again. "I warned you, Kagato! Let Ryoko go!"

"With pleasure." Kagato offered another strange little smile, and in an instant, the dark force evaporated into nothing, causing Ryoko to fall headlong towards the ground. Tenchi ran forward to catch her, but just before she hit the turf, she seemed to right herself, launching herself up into the sky as red light glittered across her palms. Kagato laughed.

"I have an idea. If you can't battle me, why don't you battle against your friend instead? I'm sure she could use the practice." He said softly, flicking his fingers at Ryoko. She raised her head, and despite himself, Tenchi let out a gasp. Her eyes were dulled and dead of all life, and a strange greenish glow flickered in their depths. As Kagato lifted his hand, gesturing at Tenchi, the pirate flickered light into her sabre, launching herself in his direction with an unearthly battle cry. Tenchi, stunned for a moment, lifted his own sword at just the right moment, and the two clashed, blade on blade as Tenchi struggled to keep his footing.

"Ryoko! Ryoko, snap out of it!" he urged, but Ryoko did not appear to hear him, sending a barrage of orange-red light in his direction as she flickered and blurred out of view, re-appearing behind him and shooting a second volley that almost caught him on the leg. He sprang backwards, shaking his head.

"Ryoko, stop this! You can't let him control you - you can fight this!"

"I think you'll find she isn't listening to you." Kagato lazily raised his ghostly hand again, and Ryoko launched herself upwards once more, sending a renewed attack towards the hapless Tenchi as she did so. "You see, those gems she wears, I understand their magic in ways she doesn't. My power is strong, and hers is no match for it. She doesn't know how to use them, and so they make her vulnerable to me and my suggestions. Think of them as a vessel, if you like. A doorway to her mind and her thoughts. She no longer has control of her body. I dictate every move she makes. If you want to fight me, little Prince of Jurai, you're going to have to defeat her first. Doesn't that make for a nice twist?"

"You're a monster!" Tenchi yelled up at him. "I won't do it! I won't hurt her, so your game is over!"

"But she wants to hurt you, so you might want to rethink that strategy." Kagato said calmly. "Ryoko might be flawed, but with my help, she can finally awaken the power to control those crystals and use them for what they were meant to do. I make her stronger...I make her the weapon her creator hoped that she would be. Washu did a good job, didn't she? Unfortunately, not good enough."

Ryoko's eyes narrowed and glowed with a strange light, then she flew at Tenchi, knocking him off his feet in his surprise. She stood over him, sabre drawn, pressing the flickering tip to his throat as she glared down at him, red energy encompassing her whole body. Tenchi swallowed hard as his blade flickered and died in his hand, combatted by the strange magic Ryoko had flung up around them both. He tried to shuffle backwards, but she was too quick for him, pressing her foot down hard on his chest as she hovered her blade to his throat once more.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi struggled to speak. "Ryoko, snap out of this! This isn't what you want to do - you don't want to hurt me! Don't let him control you! You tell me that you're more than just someone's tool or someone's weapon - well, prove it! Prove it right now! This isn't your will and you know it. You wanted to go back to the Earth together, to have some peace and quiet away from all this madness - don't you remember that?"

Ryoko did not falter, and Tenchi closed his eyes, uttering an inward prayer for help. He could now feel the tickle of hot light at his throat, and he drew a shaky breath into his lungs as he attempted to regain his composure. Then, at length, he opened his eyes once more.

"Ryoko, back on Earth, you said that nothing would ever make you forsake the choice you made after the battle with Haki." He said softly. "You said that nothing in the world would compel you to let me go, and I know that you meant it then. Think of everything we've done, everything we've been through. Everything we've fought to overcome. This isn't what you want - this isn't your destiny. Your destiny is to put an end to all of this once and for all and come back to the Earth. Come home. With me and with Ryo Ohki. That's what you really want. You don't want to take all that away."

"Touching, but completely pointless." Kagato said scornfully. "Do you think she can even hear your babbling? It's like the squeak of a mouse to her, caught in the hawk's claws. One word from me and she'll finish you...once and for all."

"Tenchi?"

The word was softly spoken, and Tenchi glanced up at his companion, noticing as he did so that the touch of the blade was gone from his throat. Confusion and dismay flickered in Ryoko's eyes as she drew her weapon back, dispersing it as she held out a hand to pull Tenchi to his feet.

"What was I doing?" She demanded, fear in her gaze. "What...what happened?"

"Impossible!" Kagato's eyes glowed with rage and he let out a roar, sending a barrage of dark energy down to the ground as he did so. "How could one so weak as you break through my spell! Impossible!"

"Looks like you'll have to fight your own battle after all." Tenchi squeezed Ryoko's hand. "You can control her thoughts and her actions but you can't control her feelings. Ryoko and I are stronger together than you'll ever be. That's what brought her out of the trance. You can't make her hurt me because it goes against everything she knows is right. You're not as strong as you think you are."

"Control...me?" Surprise followed by anger flashed across Ryoko's expression and she let out a cry of fury, launching herself into the air and sending a new wave of light bolts in Kagato's direction. "How dare you mess with my mind! How dare you try and make me hurt Tenchi!"

"You pathetic little creature, do you think you can hurt me? Without my help strengthening your magic, you aren't a match for anybody." Kagato told her derisively, swiping her out of his way with a single beam of power. "And I only used a very small amount to control you. This fight isn't over and I'm not done playing with you yet. If you think you can break through that, well, let's try and see what happens when I crank up the power. You can't resist me, Ryoko. Through the gems, we are connected."

"No!" Tenchi let out a cry, running forwards as the darkness enclosed around Ryoko once more, stronger and more opaque than the last time. "Stop this! Stop playing with her mind and fight your own battle, you coward! Or are you too scared to face me like you did in the Throne Room the last time? Are you so scared that I'll beat you?"

"Tenchi...I can't fight him." Ryoko struggled against the apparition's magic, desperation flaring in her eyes as he engulfed her once more. "Please...whatever you have to do to stop him, do it. Whatever I do...Kagato must be...must be...stopped. Nozomi knew it...and you know it too. Promise me."

"I'm not going to hurt you!"

"You might not have a choice!" Ryoko screwed up her eyes, focusing her magic, but the red glow dimmed and faded to nothing as Kagato resumed control of her once more. He dropped her to the ground, and she teleported out of sight, re-materialising a few feet from where Tenchi stood. Her words echoed in his head and he frowned, holding his sword aloft.

"Don't make me do this, Kagato." He said darkly. "This isn't fair."

"Who said anything about playing fair?" Kagato let out a deep throated chuckle, shaking his head as he flicked a finger in Ryoko's direction once more. "You woke me before I was fully ready, and you talk to me about playing fair? No. You asked for this battle. You asked for all of this. We're playing by new rules now. If you want to fight me, man to man, you'll have to take her out of the equation first. And I'm warning you - this time, there won't be any breaking the spell. Feeble human emotions are worthless against the full power of my magic."

Ryoko raised her arm, her sabre materialising in her hand as she did so. She narrowed her gaze, and Tenchi bit his lip, his grip tightening on his sword as she launched her attack.

"Whatever you have to do to stop him, do it." The words echoed round his head for a second time as their blades clashed together once more, Ryoko's strength more than doubled by the dark energy Kagato wielded within her. As he fought to keep his footing against her, Tenchi realised that the ghostly prince had been right. He wouldn't break this trance with simple words this time. And yet, his heart balked at what he might have to do to get past her. To face the prince, one on one, in the way that he had faced him in the Throne Room of Jurai.

"You almost died so I could fight that battle then, too." He muttered to himself, renewing his determination as the sword within his grip flared with new life. "But I can't ask you to make that kind of a sacrifice again. And I won't. I won't, damn it!"

Ryoko's body glowed once more with hot red energy as her sabre doubled in it's strength, bearing down on him from above and he parried her blow at the last second, knocking her backwards onto the ground. She was up on her feet in an instant, and Tenchi stood firm, his blade ready to meet hers once more.

"You aren't much good at attacking, are you, Prince of Jurai?" Kagato's mocking words echoed out from the sky above him, and Tenchi scowled.

"I already told you, it's not her I'm fighting!" He retorted. "You just want to see me kill her, because you're twisted and sadistic and you think playing with people's lives is fun!"

"I wonder what Yosho would say, if he knew that blade of his was about to be tainted with the blood of an innocent." Kagato continued, as a bolt of spectral lightning split the sky, casting new illumination on the battlefield and shadowing Ryoko in an eerie white glow. "Do you think he'd be proud, Tenchi? Or would he be disappointed that, faced with an enemy, you can't even think how to launch an attack?"

"I'm not you." Tenchi spat out, parrying another series of blows from Ryoko's sabre and jumping back from her as she sent a wave of energy bolts in his direction. They burnt and singed the ground around his feet, boring deep into the landscape like tiny meteor craters, and clouds of smoke and steam rose up from where they landed. Tenchi cast a glance around him, his eyes narrowing as he considered the situation he was in. As he did so, light dawned in his brown eyes.

"Oh, I get it now." He said, as he ducked another swipe of Ryoko's powerful sword. "Every time she attacks me and attacks the planet, you take another little piece of Tsunami's strength. By destroying her land, by controlling her crystals...it's all a part of the bigger picture, isn't it? You've wrapped Ryoko up in some twisted battle you have against the Goddess of this world - because you want to be a God, and there's no way in hell she's letting you in!"

"Clever." Kagato sounded approving. "I didn't think you'd work that out so quickly, considering you are Earth-born and barely worthy of Jurai's notice. Tsunami is weakening, day by day. She inhabits the body of a child, and she relies on a creature such as this to do her bidding, but doesn't tell her the true power of the elements she possesses. Washu studied them and thought she had the answers, but she is not of this planet and even she, with her genius mind cannot hope to comprehend the full magnitude of Jurai's magic. In the end, the battle was won a long time ago. What I did to those gems all those years past still holds them in good stead now. I have no physical form to bear them - but thanks to Washu's meddling, I have a daughter whose mind I can inhabit, and she is the perfect vessel for such matters, being that she has so little will of her own to fight back. The true power of these gems is terrible. Their scope hasn't even begun to be imagined. They are chips from the core of this world, tiny fragments of the Heart of Jurai, the true source of Tsunami's power. Without them, time and energy must be spent destroying this world. With them, the process is so much cleaner. So much faster. But I'm afraid that you won't live to see the end result."

He raised his hand.

"Ryoko! Finish him!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

"No!"

Sasami staggered backward, gripping hold of the balcony rail to her room as the images flooded her mind, drowning her in thoughts and feelings and forcing her to her knees. Dimly in the background, she heard someone calling her name, but it was faint and distant and she could not find them in the melee of madness that ran through her head.

"No." She whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. "No, Tsunami! Don't let him kill them! Don't let him do it! Please, Tsunami! You can't! It can't end like this! You're stronger than that...please! Help them!"

"Sasami, what's happening?" Now the voice was closer, and she felt a hand on her arm as someone pulled her gently to her feet, leading her away from the railing and back towards her bed. She sank down onto the soft covers almost automatically, her eyes big with terror as she watched the battle unfolding mere fields away from the central palace itself. The heavens were dark, split by lightning and the sun was fighting a losing battle to keep shining through, as darkness began to descend over Jurai.

"Sasami?"

She screwed her eyes shut, fighting the pictures away, as someone put an arm around her, sitting down beside her on the bed. She hesitated, then opened her eyes very slowly, as the room blurred before her view. She let out a little gasp, and was aware once more of someone supporting her as she felt her body falling.

"It's all right, Sasami-chan. You're quite safe here."

Now she recognised the voice and she blinked, turning her head to face her companion.

"Washu?" She murmured. "But..."

"Something's happening out there, isn't it?" The scientist looked unusually grave, casting her gaze out across the landscape towards the darkening horizon. "The girl Nozomi's managed to set him free, they're fighting for their lives...am I guessing that whatever it is, it's not good news?"

"Nozomi's dead." Sasami swallowed the lump in her throat, clinging hold of Washu's hand as if scared to be dropped back into the whirl of images. "Tsunami asked it of her and she gave it without question...but maybe it was wrong! Maybe Tsunami was wrong! Kagato has control of Ryoko's mind and Tenchi's trying to fight them both - but I don't know if he can. He can't kill Ryoko, Washu! But Kagato...Kagato wants her to kill him. And she will. Her mind is dead to Tsunami. She's gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" Washu demanded sharply, and Sasami bit her lip.

"Tsunami keeps track of every branch of the Jurai family tree. You know that. It's how I found out you were Ryoko's mother." She whispered. "But right now, she can't find Ryoko. Kagato's cut off every link between them, every sense, every feeling that makes Ryoko who she is. She's a weapon all right, Washu. But not the kind of weapon you wanted. He's controlling her through the gems...I'm scared. I'm scared and Tsunami won't tell me what's going to happen!"

Tears spilled down her cheeks at this and Washu's expression darkened once more, shaking her head slowly.

"What have I created?" She murmured, apprehension in her green eyes. "Those gems...I knew he'd tuned them...but I didn't imagine this. Can she fight it off, Sasami? Do you think she has that strength?"

"I don't know. I told you, Tsunami's lost her completely." Sasami sobbed. "And Tenchi is tired and he doesn't want to fight Ryoko because he loves her, only he...he hasn't got a choice and Kagato's going to make one of them kill the other one and I don't want everyone to die!"

She buried her head in Washu's shoulder, and the scientist hesitated, then hugged her tightly.

"I wish Ayeka were here. She'd know better than me how to comfort you." She said softly. "When Kamadake came to me and said you wanted company through this, I had no idea you'd be able to see what was going on over there. I'm not really cut out for this, you know."

"If Ayeka were here, Tenchi and Ryoko wouldn't have to fight him on their own." Sasami sniffled. "Ayeka's magic is strong too, Washu. She has the Jurai Power. I wish I did, but I don't have it. I only have what Tsunami gives to me."

"You shouldn't dismiss that. It's a healthy slice of magic in itself, even if you got it from a different source than Ayeka." Washu told her gently. "Listen to me, Sasami. Do you believe in this Goddess of yours? You know Tsunami better than anyone. Do you believe she's strong enough to beat Kagato?"

Sasami hesitated for a moment. Then she nodded her head slowly.

"Yes." She agreed. "But she's already fighting him, and Tenchi and Ryoko..."

She faltered, closing her eyes. "Washu, I'm scared. I don't like this! I don't!"

"Nor do I." Washu said grimly. "All the scientific knowhow in the world can't combat a foe like Kagato, I can see that more clearly now than ever before. And I know better than anyone how untrained Ryoko is. I only hope Tenchi can hold his own and tackle Ryoko without hurting her. I doubt he has the strength in him to kill her."

"Or the weakness." Sasami whispered. "It can't be strength, Washu, not if you kill someone you love. And Tenchi does love Ryoko, you know."

"Then maybe Ryoko will kill Tenchi, if she's as dead to everything as you say." Washu rubbed her temples. "I'm sorry, Sasami. I'm not great comfort for you, am I?"

"I'm just glad you're here with me and that I'm not here all by myself." Sasami admitted. "Washu, how strong do you think Tenchi is? Strong enough to defeat Kagato on his own?"

"I thought so, once." Washu bit her lip. "And I thought he'd succeeded, also. We were proven wrong, Sasami, and I'm doubting my judgement a lot at the moment. I've never done that before. Not ever. Not once in all the years I've been alive. But right now..."

She shook her head.

"Right now I'm doubting a lot of things." She murmured. "Including the wisdom of ever bringing Ryoko into this world."

"Tsunami thinks Tenchi is very strong." Sasami sighed, leaning against the scientist. "But how strong - that's what she can't tell, not yet. She's not sure...whether he can find it inside of him, the strength she believes he has. I wish it wasn't all so uncertain, that's all. Tsunami's not as strong as she should be either. Her fight with Kagato has taken a lot out of her and when he attacks Ryoko through the gems, he attacks pieces of Tsunami at the same time. They're parts of her, you know. Parts of Jurai's heart...bits of Tsunami's magic and by weakening Ryoko, he's finding a way into Tsunami. I don't like how this is turning out and I'm not strong enough to do anything about it."

Washu was silent for a moment, considering. Then she nodded.

"Yes, you are." She said thoughtfully. "Sasami, we both know that Tsunami chose you because of all of your family, you have the ability to see good in people and not to judge them based on who they appear to be. Such qualities are supposed to be ones Tsunami shared in her lifetime, also. In some respects, you are her reincarnation - part of her spirit which one day will be joined into one form. At the moment you're two people, but Tsunami chose you because of your belief in people's strengths. Right now, Ryoko and Tenchi need that belief, and so does Tsunami. Remember, Kagato is poisoning Jurai, creating doubts and hate and negative energy across the whole planet. You're positive energy. You have to keep hold of that...it's the best way you can help Tsunami."

"Do you really think so?" Sasami looked doubtful. Washu inclined her head.

"I do." She agreed. "Look at the evidence. You befriended Ryoko, when others would not. You adopted Ryo Ohki as your companion, when others didn't know how to take her."

She looked rueful.

"You've always treated even me like an old friend or family member, even if everyone else thinks I'm mad and liable to get you all killed. You adore your family, despite their shortcomings and despite their occasional lapses in judgement. You love your home, but you're just as happy out in space or entering new worlds, because you're not afraid to meet new people and make new friends. That's a pretty powerful force all in itself. All these things are why Tsunami picked you to bond with. Up till now she's called the shots and she's shown you what to do and how to do it. But it's your life and it's your body. You have to start taking control a little more, that's all. You care about Tenchi and you care about Ryoko. You know them face to face, whereas Tsunami knows them only through a distant web of memories. Focus that thought on them right now. It might help - and either way, it can't hurt."

"You're right." Determination replaced despair in Sasami's eyes and she nodded, putting her hands together as if to pray. "As you said, I can't make anything worse by sending positive thoughts out there, can I? I need to stop doubting Tsunami and to stop doubting Tenchi and Ryoko. I believe they can do this and so did Nozomi - that's why I sent her back here and why she gave everything she had to change the past. So I'll do my best, Washu. And you must too."

"I'm not sure my positive energy counts for anything. I'm too jaded and I've been through too many things." Washu said dryly. "But sure. I guess I can try."

"Remember, it's your daughter fighting out there too." Sasami turned her gaze to the skyline. "She needs all the hope you can give her too, Washu."

"Well, I guess we'll see about that." Washu shrugged her shoulders. "All right. It's not very scientific, but I'll go along with you."

"This isn't about science. You said that yourself." Sasami said firmly, grabbing Washu's hand and holding it tightly between her own. "So if there's any little thing we can do, we must do it. After all, our family is fighting for the freedom of Jurai right now and if there's anything we can do to help them, we've got to try!"

-----------------

Tenchi dropped down behind the wisened trunk of Souja's tree, conscious that Nozomi's still form lay not many metres from where he crouched. She was pale now, he realised, cold and dead to this world, but yet something about her presence there made him renew his hope.

"Nozomi came back here to die for Tsunami's cause, but it doesn't mean that Kagato's won." He muttered, as he ducked the rain of fire Ryoko sent his way. "She's dead in this world, and Tsunami knew that would happen, but if she did, then she must also know that Ryoko and I can beat this man somehow. Sasami said she didn't know the outcome of this battle...but Tsunami isn't Sasami yet. Tsunami-sama, Nozomi believed in you enough to give her life for your cause. I'm not of this planet, not really. But I know you want Jurai's best interests and as it stands, me and this sword are all you've got to fight with. If you can do anything - anything at all - to bring Ryoko out of her trance, then I'd be more than a little bit grateful. I know your magic is under a lot of strain right now, but there must be some way I can beat him. Some way. Any way."

"Believe in yourself, Prince of Jurai." The words flickered into his head, soft and gentle as if spoken on the breeze, and he glanced up, but there was noone there. He bit his lip, taking a step away from Souja's trunk as he raised his sword once more, holding it firm against Ryoko's attack as his mind raced through all the possibilities.

"Believe in yourself." He muttered. "To do what? I've fought this guy before. I've killed him before. It took all of my strength, everything - and it still wasn't enough. Azusa and Grandfather, they say I have more strength in me than they do. Washu's said it too. And Ryoko...Ryoko needs me to find it, but I just don't know where it is!"

"Are you finished playing hide and seek?" Kagato's voice boomed out from behind him and he jumped, dropping his sword with a clatter as he swung around to face the apparition hovering not far from his head.

"I could destroy you right now, you know. One flick of my hand and it would be all over. I can't control you like I can control your friend here, but that doesn't mean I can't kill you. Yosho chose his heir badly. You're no match for me. Not now. You were right - I am a God, and soon all of this world will bow down before me!"

"More likely you'll burn it down trying to make them submit to you!" Tenchi yelled back, holding his hands up to defend himself from Kagato's attack. "This planet belongs to Tsunami! It's her world, and it always has been! You're not a God - you're no better than me or any other human soul who walks this world! You think you are, but you have your limitations, too! You're like a genie trapped in a lamp - you suck energy from Souja instead of creating your own. Tsunami is more powerful than you will ever be, Kagato - and killing Ryoko or me won't make that any less true. Jurai will die before it becomes your world...because you bring darkness, not light and no world can survive without light!"

"We'll just have to see, won't we."

Kagato swung his arm in an arc, and Ryoko dropped down at Tenchi's side, grabbing him and holding him tightly in her grip. He struggled, but her grasp was firm and it was to no avail. He glared up at Kagato, venom in his expression.

"So even now, you'll have her kill me instead of doing it yourself?" He demanded. "And I thought, once, you were a great warrior. Some great warrior if you can't even finish a fight on your own!"

"You talk far too much for one in your predicament." Kagato's tone held a dangerous edge and he brought his hands together, strange light glowing from his ghostly fingertips as he surveyed them both. "I'm getting bored with your bravado, Prince of Jurai. If you want proof of my power, then proof you shall have. Because I don't see your precious Goddess here to protect you now, do you? She's forsaken you, just when you need her the most. But then, she's fighting a losing battle herself. Jurai will be mine, or it will perish in the process."

A stream of black energy flooded out from his hands at this, and Tenchi closed his eyes, waiting for impact.

It never came.

Cautiously he opened his eyes, at first blinded by the strange whiteness that surrounded him. At first, he half-wondered if this was death, and that the stories his Grandfather had told him about peaceful passing from one plane of existance to another were true. And then, as he registered Ryoko's arms still clutched tightly around him, he realised that it was something else. That deep within him, something was stirring, rearing it's head as it forged through every vessel in his body. Blinking against the light, he managed to focus his sight and he drew a sharp breath into his lungs as he registered the three ghostly blades that spread out before him, protecting both him and Ryoko from the blast of Kagato's magic.

"What is this?" Kagato's shock was plain as he drew back his hands, staring down in disbelief at the sight before him. "What witchcraft have you drawn on me now, Tsunami? This is your doing! You think you can fight me, even now?"

"What...what's going on?" Ryoko's grip around him slackened at that moment and she raised a hand to her head, rubbing her temples as she returned to herself. "Tenchi...what...what the hell are you doing? Where's that coming from? What is it?"

"I don't know." Tenchi admitted, taking her hand and holding it firmly in his. "But it brought you back to yourself. It's some kind of shield. Some kind of...energy."

"I didn't know you had a power like that."

"Nor did I." Tenchi focused his thoughts, determination crossing his face. "But whatever it is, it showed up just at the right moment. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Don't fuss over me...we've got bigger things to worry about." Ryoko pointed upwards, and Tenchi followed her gaze as Kagato soared above them, letting out a massive barrage of black energy as he struggled to break through the forcefield Tenchi had created. Tenchi narrowed his gaze, holding out his hand and, from where it had fallen on the grass, his sword lifted itself, hovering for a moment, then flying across the field and into his waiting grasp. Ryoko raised an eyebrow.

"Impressive." She said, rubbing her hands together absently. "You sure have some neat party tricks you save for the special occasion, don't you?"

"Believe me, I'm as much in the dark about all of this as you are." Tenchi told her frankly. "I'm not sure how long I can hold the field up, either. Can you give me a hand here? Protecting ourselves is one thing, but it's not going to bring him down."

"I'm with you." Comprehension flickered in Ryoko's eyes and she nodded, red light flaring from her fingertips. "I'll distract him. You go in for the kill. I've never seen that sword of yours flare with so much light before now - whatever it is, I think you should use it, before it burns out."

"Are you sure he won't take control of you again?"

"I'm sure." Ryoko pursed her lips, her eyes mere slits as she surveyed their attacker. "Suddenly I feel like I could fight this battle all over again. Which is probably a good thing...because I have a feeling that's what I'm going to have to do. Only with a different target this time. Him."

With that she teleported out of the white haze of light, and Tenchi focused his energy once more on his blade, biting his lip as it grew and flared beneath his grip. Never had he felt so alive with energy, the ghostly white blades engulfing him in their glow as he faced his opponant, steely determination in his eye.

"Lets see how good a warrior you really are, Kagato." He muttered. "Ready or not, I'm coming to get you!"

"Hey, ugly! Do you really think you can control the mind of a space pirate forever?" Ryoko materialised in the air behind Kagato, shooting bolts of electricity at him as she did so. "I've got news for you. We're very difficult beasts to tame!"

"How dare you think you can turn on me?" Kagato raised his hand to her, but Ryoko swung her sabre, slicing through the drifting particles that made up his arm and causing him to let out a yell of surprise and pain. She stared at him for a moment, then a slight smile touched her face.

"Well, Daddy, looks like I did inherit more from you than you thought." She added. "Thanks for waking up the gems' true power for me. I guess it's true that you can learn a lot from your parents' example."

"You'll pay for that!" Kagato raised his remaining arm, bolts of energy flaring at the tips of his fingers. "I'll see you dead before the day is out...you are no match for me, Ryoko, gems or otherwise!"

"But Ryoko's not fighting this one on her own!" Tenchi exclaimed, charging at the ghostly form and bringing his blade down hard across the apparition's body. There was a flare in light, as Kagato's torso was split in two, and he let out an agonised scream as the edges of his form began to fray and disperse into the ether.

"That's it! Tenchi, that's it!" Ryoko exclaimed, pushing her hands together and sending a strong flare of red-orange energy at the stricken spirit, engulfing him in a wave of light as Tenchi swung his sword again, bringing it down a second time and splitting his enemy once more across the middle.

"Souja!" He yelled, as elements of the sinister smoke began to drift back towards the tree. "Ryoko, Souja! If he gets back inside that tree..."

"I'm on it!" Ryoko nodded, raising her hands above her head and sending a rapid series of energy bolts down towards the stricken tree. It shimmered for a moment, then burst into a strange black flame. For a few seconds it burned, then the light faded, and as Ryoko sent a second barrage to join the first, the tree crumpled and disintegrated into hot black ash, littering the ground and dusting Nozomi's body gently with it's residue.

"You can't escape this time, Kagato!" Tenchi exclaimed. "Souja is dead! There's no escape! Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide! You can't make a prisoner of your tree any longer, and you can't bring harm to Jurai! I told you you weren't a God! Now let me prove it!"

And he brought his blade down a third time, making final contact with the wave of smoke. There was an eerie cry, the disembodied yell of fury of a defeated spirit. Then, as the darkness faded away, there was a sudden, eerie silence.

For a moment, nothing moved. Then, with a sigh, Ryoko dropped down onto the ground, walking slowly towards the remains of Souja's tree. Without a word, she bent down beside Nozomi's body, brushing the dust and ash off the girl's face.

"Do you think we did it?" Tenchi's sword flickered and died, and as the power rushed out of him, he felt a sudden sense of fatigue flood his senses. He sighed, glancing at the sword, then slipping it back into his belt. "Ryoko? Do you think we got him this time?"

"I sure hope we did." Ryoko's voice was pensive, and as Tenchi came to join her, he cast a glance down at the fallen girl, shaking his head slowly.

"For her sake, or for Jurai's?" He asked gently. Ryoko glanced up at him, then shrugged.

"Either. Both." She admitted. "I don't know how I feel about this whole family thing, Tenchi. But she gave her life for this...so I hope we've at least done what we set out to do."

Almost before she had finished speaking, Nozomi's body began to glow with a soft white light, and Ryoko frowned, settling herself more comfortably at her side as she took the girl's hand in her's.

"Nozomi?" She whispered. "Tenchi, what's happening? What's going on now...is it Kagato?"

"No...I think it's Tsunami." Tenchi dropped down beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "If we've beaten Kagato, it means the timeline has changed. If it's changed, then..."

"Then Nozomi wouldn't be here in this time, because Tsunami wouldn't have had to send her here." Ryoko murmured. Tenchi nodded.

"Exactly. Which means...which means we've done it, Ryoko. We've got rid of that monster for ever...Jurai is finally safe."

"Do you think she's all right, wherever she's going to?" Ryoko pursed her lips, as Nozomi's body was engulfed completely in light, then slowly faded away into nothing. Tenchi shrugged.

"Who knows." He admitted. "In some ways that's down to us - and a future that we're not ready to contemplate just at the moment. But either way, Ryoko, we did what we came here to do...and for that at least, we should be grateful."

"I'm just glad it's over." Ryoko admitted, reaching up to rub her temples. "I don't remember a lot of the battle. Did he make me do anything to hurt you, Tenchi?"

"I just about held my own, but you were pretty ferocious." Tenchi admitted, casting her a slight smile. "And I really didn't want to fight you, so that left me sort of handicapped, if you know what I mean."

Ryoko returned the smile, getting to her feet and holding out a hand to pull him up.

"Well, it's all sort of a blur." She murmured. "But when I woke up, there was all this white light around me and I wondered...I almost wondered if it were heaven. And then I realised it was coming from you...you really don't know how you did it?"

"No." Tenchi shook his head. "But it's something to ask Grandpa about. Or Sasami. She might know the answer. Maybe it was Tsunami's doing. I did ask her for help, when you were going at me like a crazy woman. Perhaps she did intercede. Who knows? Either way, I feel exhausted now. I guess it's not something I'll be doing again - at least, not for a while. But I never imagined I could erect a forcefield like that...and without the sword even in my hand, too."

"Washu said your power hadn't been fully awakened yet, and I guess this is what she meant." Ryoko linked arms in his. "Either way, I'm glad you were fighting on my side. I wouldn't have wanted to face down that blade, and I'm pretty game for most things when it comes to a battle situation."

"Well, I'm just glad he couldn't maintain control of you at the end." Tenchi admitted. "I might have cut him down, but it was a team effort, Ryoko. And you saw to Souja, so you cut off his escape. We do make a good team, don't we?"

"We do." Ryoko acknowledged. She frowned, holding up her arms. "That's odd."

"What is?"

"My gems. They're gone."

"Gone? Gone where?" Tenchi glanced at her, realising that she spoke the truth, and the final red stone had gone from his companion's brow. "Did you drop them? Maybe that's how Kagato lost control of you. He was doing it through the gems, you know."

"No...I don't think I did." Ryoko pursed her lips. "Tenchi, I've never been able to control their magic, and they hurt me because of it. But...after I came to, when you were protecting us...I didn't feel that way. It was like...like somehow you did something to me and to them. You broke Kagato's spell, but it was more than that. I can't explain it - but nothing seemed to hurt any more. It wasn't a struggle. It was like it came...naturally."

"You think the gems have bonded with you completely, then?" Tenchi asked softly. Ryoko rubbed her wrist absently, nodding her head.

"They couldn't before, because their magic was more than I could handle." She replied. "And because Kagato had messed with them, of course, so it meant he had a direct route into them. That's why their energy felt so negative, I guess. They really were tuned to him."

She shrugged.

"Whatever you did, it neutralised that hold over them." She added. "I don't feel...different. I feel just like myself. But I was stronger just then, when we faced him down and beat him. I hurt him. And I destroyed Souja with barely any effort at all. So yes. I think that's what happened. They became part of me...somehow. And so I could use them to beat him."

"Perhaps that's another round of questions to ask Washu?"

"If I'm speaking to Washu." Ryoko pulled a face. "I'm not sure if I am, yet."

"At the end of the day, Ryoko, she is your mother."

"Or my creator."

"Well, maybe." Tenchi shrugged. "But you know, I've thought at times that she was kind of fond of you."

"Really?" Ryoko arched an eyebrow. "Which times were those? I must have blinked and missed them."

Tenchi laughed.

"Come on, let's go back to the palace." He said softly. "Rest up and share our news with everyone. I'm beat and I'm sure you are too - and even if you don't want to speak to Washu, I want to talk to Sasami about those blades that protected us from Kagato's magic."

"All right." Ryoko sighed, looping her hand in his. "So I'll take us the quick route. But Tenchi? When they've done poking and prodding at us, can we go to the Earth? Please?"

"I promised you that." Tenchi nodded his head. "So for sure. But there's no hurry, Ryoko. Not now Kagato is destroyed, after all. Everything is back to how it should be!"

Ryoko bit her lip, turning to glance across the ground to the flattened section of earth where Nozomi's body had lain. She shook her head.

"Not quite everything." She murmured. "But I guess you're right. Time will tell."

She gripped him more tightly.

"And right now, we're going somewhere where there's a nice warm bath waiting for me. I have to wash evil dead guy out of my hair!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

"It's a beautiful night."

Ryoko glanced down from the branch of the tree she was carefully perched upon, taking in the speaker with a thoughtful look of her own. She nodded her head, blurring her form and re-materialising down on the ground below, tilting her head to one side as she surveyed her companion.

"I haven't decided if I want to make small talk with you yet, Washu." She said quietly. "You did a hell of a lot to me, you know. Putting me through this. All the time I've been someone else's tool - your weapon. Kagato's weapon...designed and built for a battle I didn't know was even coming. It's not fair. I had a right to know the truth about myself. You should have told me, the first time we met."

"Before or after I turned you into a sprite for swinging me around like a maniac?" Washu raised an eyebrow, folding her arms and leaning up against the massive trunk of the palace tree, shaking her head. "No, Ryoko. I think it would have been better if you'd never known. Your life was complicated enough without me. Besides, you are emotionally unstable. That's beyond dispute. Whether you like to admit it or not, you're far too driven by how you feel, not by how you think. Had you known that you had been born in a laboratory, well, it probably would have scarred you. And you'd have been no use to me as damaged goods, now would you?"

"I see." Ryoko's eyes flickered. "So that's the bottom line? Now I've done what you wanted from me, you can chalk me up as a successful experiment?"

Washu eyed her for a moment. Then she spread her hands.

"If you had been raised in the way I hoped, you would have had the mother and the childhood that you seem to think you need to be a whole human being." She said softly. "You would have been trained in your magic to a point where you would have had no trouble fighting an enemy like Kagato. Kichi would have seen to it that you were loyal to her and that he was your sworn enemy. You would have been so much stronger so much sooner."

"I'm sorry I disappoint you so much." Ryoko glanced at the ground, kicking idly at a stone as she watched it clatter and spin against the wooden trunk. "But I am who I am, Washu. That's not going to change, you know."

"No, I know." Washu acknowledged. "And in some respects, I wouldn't want you to. I know," As Ryoko shot her an incredulous look. "You make for bad science. Your results are sloppy and unpredictable, your temperament unreliable and quite often completely incomprehensible. Your feelings make you a weak target and you're far too quick to fly off the handle. But..."

"There's a but in all this abuse? You surprise me!"

"Yes, there's a but." Washu's eyes softened. "If you had stayed with Kichi, you would have been the perfect weapon. I guarantee that. But a human being? I don't know. You would have loved her, yes, and she would have loved you like her own child. But the goal of your life, that would always have been number one on the agenda. If she had lived...you would have been stronger, but at the cost of your freedom. In some respects, maybe it's a good thing that you went the way you did. One thing I think I have discovered from this experiment is that science and human nature aren't always compatible. And it isn't an experiment I would repeat, Ryoko-chan. One delinquent daughter is quite enough for this overworked Mom!"

"I'm still not sure I think of you as my mother." Ryoko glanced at her hands. "But I guess I'm not as mad at you any more. I'm still annoyed you didn't tell me the truth. But that's not surprising, because sometimes I think you don't tell anyone the whole truth. At least now I do know the answers to all the questions. Even if I didn't ask for them - at least now I know who I am."

"Yes, you do." Washu inclined her head slightly. "Ryoko Hakubi."

"Yes." Ryoko pursed her lips. "Yes, I suppose so."

"And, for tonight at least, Jurai's true blue heroine."

"That won't last long." Ryoko shook her head. "Sure, they're all sucking up to me tonight, because of all of this. But they don't mean it, Washu. They hate me and I'll never fit in on this stuffy, stuck up planet. I'm even missing Ayeka's company, that's how bad it is."

"You and Ayeka are not the foes you once were, though."

"True." Ryoko shrugged. "I guess we both just needed Tenchi to make up his mind. Men are so bad at that, you know? But he's worse than most."

"And you're too quick to make up yours, Ryoko-chan." Washu looked amused. "Between the two of you, you might find an equilibrium. Though I doubt it."

"Washu...about Nozomi?" Ryoko turned opaque eyes on her companion. "I know it's a lot to ask, but is there any way to, you know, tell if she made it back to her timeline all right? I mean, she died here, but...she wasn't alive in this time, was she?"

"No, she wasn't. Her death here would not affect her own timeline." Washu agreed. "But you have to understand, Ryoko, time itself is not static. Every single decision, every moment of our lives dictates what will happen in our future. Like I said before, the future Nozomi came from was one of several possible futures, none of which are decided absolutely until they come to be. By defeating Kagato, you and Tenchi have irrevocably changed that timeline. Even if I was able to find out what timeline had replaced it, there's no telling what might alter it again in a year or even less than that. It's too unstable. Nozomi may exist in a future world, or she may not. It's not in her hands to decide."

"No, I suppose not." Ryoko looked pensive. "I just wondered. It's fine. It's no big deal."

Washu shot her a sidelong glance.

"It's not easy for a mother when her child is out of her reach." She said softly. Ryoko shot her a startled glance, then she shook her head.

"I don't think of myself as her mother. If I even really was - like you said, the future is changeable." She said with a shrug. "Just she had courage. And I'd like to know she's okay. Even if she exists in another time and space without any connection to Tenchi or I - it would just be nice to know. That's all."

"Well, I still believe that some things are better off not being known." Washu said pensively. "You did a good job today, by the way. You and Tenchi both. Sasami got very excited when you took Kagato down...I knew then that you'd be all right, although I wasn't quite clear on how."

"At your service." Ryoko said wryly. "He had me on the end of a rope, to be honest. I don't know how I came back to myself...it's still a bit of a mystery, all told. Washu, you've read through all those piles of Juraian manuscripts. Did they ever mention anything about forcefields and white blades?"

"Yes. Sasami mentioned that, too, earlier on." Washu looked thoughtful. "She suddenly jumped up and shouted 'The Light Hawk!" and I had to get her to calm down before she could explain it all to me. It's a bit obscure, Ryoko. I don't even understand half of what she told me - and I'm a genius, so there's not much hope that you will."

"Thanks." Ryoko pulled a face. "Could you at least deign to try? Because whatever it was, it fixed my gems and made them a part of me, instead of something I was fighting. I'd just like to know what it was, that's all. I know Tenchi's spoken to Sasami about it, but still. I wanted to know from you, and he didn't really know how to explain."

"Well, in the simplest terms I can manage, you know that there are a few members of the Royal Line who are blessed with the Jurai Power?" Washu asked. Ryoko nodded.

"Yes. Like Tenchi, and Azusa, and Yosho-dono, as well."

"And Ayeka." Washu nodded. "Yes. To claim the throne, you must have this power in great enough quantity to be able to display it before the assembled council of Jurai. No Emperor - or indeed, Empress - is allowed to ascend to the throne without being able to undertake this task. It's a way to determine true claimants to the throne."

"I know all of that." Ryoko looked impatient. "When Kagato assumed control of Jurai, we already had that history lesson. Get to the good part, will you?"

"Always in such a rush, aren't you?" Washu shook her head resignedly. "Hotheaded and impulsive - no manners at all. Really, we need to work on that, my girl."

"Oh, stop it with the mother routine." Ryoko snapped. "What about Tenchi's blades?"

"Actually, they're not blades. They're wings." Washu offered her a smile. "The Wings of the Light Hawk, to be exact. If the Jurai Power itself is rare, the Light Hawk Wings are even rarer. It's said that one in every millenium may possibly be born with this power - but even those who are rarely know how to awaken it inside of them. They merely live their lives with the highest level of ordinary magic, never quite breaking through to the divine."

"The...divine?" Ryoko stared. Washu spread her hands.

"It's Tsunami's magic." She said simply. "A power that she possesses and - if you believe Sasami - bestows on very few people that she deems worthy at birth. Tenchi is one such - but then his name should tell you that. Heaven and Earth. Same as the sword."

"You mean Tenchi is some kind of God among men?" Ryoko sank back against the trunk. "Is that what you're telling me?"

"Not exactly." Washu shook her head. "But he is an incredibly powerful young man capable of wielding divine power if he really puts his mind and soul to it. Today he did. He brought it out of himself at a time when it looked like he was about to be defeated. It's clever, really. Of course, Tsunami's Light Hawk has ten wings, and you said that Tenchi's only had three. But he is only human. I guess three has to do."

"Three is plenty good enough for me." Ryoko assured her. She glanced down at her wrists, noticing that the scars from the battle with Haki had faded away completely. "Whatever it was, it healed me and healed the gems, too. I guess I should have known it came from Tsunami somehow. That Tenchi is more connected to Jurai than I ever realised."

"Connected to it, but not destined to rule it." Washu said with a shrug. "Tsunami would never have given power of that magnitude to someone likely to be corrupted by the lure of domination. Tenchi wants none of that. He wielded it today in defence of this world, and in defence of you too, since you were in such dire straits yourself. But he would never abuse it in the way Kagato would have. And so Tsunami trusts it to him. If she needs him, I guess she knows he'll come. But it also suits her purpose for him to live his life far away from Jurai. Too much power can turn people, we both know that. In a sense, it's a good arrangement."

"Well, whatever he is, he's my Tenchi also." Ryoko folded her arms across her chest. "Whatever Tsunami thinks about it. I've fought hard enough to keep him, so she'd better let him alone for a while. I want to leave Jurai and have some time alone on Earth, just the two of us. Work out things between us without random interruptions from mad scientists and crazy dead princes living in twisted old trees. Is it too much to ask for a moment or two of privacy?"

Washu chuckled.

"You want to craft a new destiny for yourself with Tenchi, is that it?" She asked innocently. Ryoko's cheeks pinkened, and she nodded her head.

"Maybe." She agreed. "If everyone else would get the hell out of our way and let us try. Sure. I've done with your plans for me. It's about time I made my own, isn't it?"

"I guess it is." Washu agreed. "And I suppose if you've got Tenchi keeping you out of trouble, it won't hurt to let you have your way. But don't disconnect yourself from people completely, Ryoko."

"Look who's talking!" Ryoko exclaimed. "The woman who lives in a sub-space laboratory by choice!"

"Well, I'm not like you." Washu said evenly. "My science keeps me company and I don't need other people when I'm working on a big project. You and I are different that way, Ryoko - much as you say you don't like too many people around you, you rely on them more than you know. Besides, you have friends here on Jurai, even though you feel the planet as a whole despises you. Sasami is very fond of you, and speaks of you almost like a sister. Her belief in you and in Tenchi today helped you, you know. I'm sure of that, and so is she, given her bonds with the Goddess herself. Ayeka is no longer your foe. You will always be welcome here by them, if not by Lord Haru and his entourage."

"Yeah, I guess so." Ryoko acknowledged. "It would be weird to lose touch with everyone, anyway. Mihoshi and Kiyone are already gone back to the Galaxy Police and that's somewhere I could never visit, so I guess it's fine to come drop by Jurai once in a while, when things are more clear and settled. As it is, I guess I'll only get to speak to them when their patrols bring them by the Earth - which isn't often, not these days. Odd as it sounds, and mad as she made me with her attention to rules, Kiyone did stick by me when I was in prison. I'd like us not to lose touch completely."

"And what about me, Ryoko-chan?" Washu sent her companion an enquiring look, softening her tone. "Or is this to be the last time we see one another, before you embark on this brand new destiny of yours?"

Ryoko opened her mouth to reply, then faltered, pursing her lips as she considered her answer.

"I expect it won't be." She said at length. "Because you have an annoying habit of finding your way into people's lives whether they want you there or not. But...I don't know. On balance, I guess I could live with that."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"You're not my mother, because I don't need a mother and I never really have done." She added. "And I'm stronger now than I've been before - stronger in magic but in other things too, somehow. Maybe it's Tenchi. Maybe it's the gems. Maybe it's a bit of both. But I'm actually optimistic about the future in a way I've never been. It might have only been a possible future, Washu, but that there could be a future in which Tenchi and I were pulled so closely together...I really believe that means there's a way to make things work out for us, despite all our differences. And that makes me happy...happy enough to even put up with your company, once in a while."

Washu's eyes twinkled with amusement.

"That's good to know." She said playfully. "Because now you've absorbed the gems into yourself, Ryoko, there are about a thousand new tests I'm eager to do on your magic and what kind of impact they've had on your metabolism."

"_Washu!_" Ryoko raised an eyebrow, and Washu shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, in the name of science." She said simply. "Can't hurt to learn more about your new abilities, can it?"


End file.
